To The Edge of Darkness
by PapayazDemon
Summary: Two voices, thousands of light years apart, and unaware of the other, spoke one name, together in perfect unison. In that one moment the fate of the galaxy changed for ever: but for better or for worse? *Anakin Redemption Fic*
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Space was silent.

The boundless vacuum, filled with blazing stars and explosions of life, now seemed just the opposite: utterly lifeless. It was as if in that one moment, everything froze in its place in time. No howl, scream, word, whisper or even breath, broke the universal hush. As quickly as it came though, it was gone, as a piercing scream ripped through the quiet's fabric and the bustling, swirling life again filled the galaxy. The young scream, a first of many to be sure, echoed in the minds of the few talented, sensitive individuals remaining in the galaxy. But, as all echoes do, the sound faded, leaving these uncommon persons to forget the miracle they had been privy to. Except for those lucky of the few who, by ordinary undistinguishable logic or unconceivable forces, understood this momentous event. Of those, only two voices, thousands of light years apart, and unaware of the other, spoke one word, one name, together in perfect unison:

"_Luke."_

* * *

AN: So this is my first story ever on ff. Hooray! It will be updated very slowly past the first couple chapters, due to my laziness and ridiculous amount of homework during the year, but I will not abandon it. Hope you enjoy!


	2. Act I: Part I

**Act I: Part I**

Eyes flew open and Anakin jerked to life, pulling on the restraints that kept him bound to the operating table. He pulled frantically at his arms, drawing every ounce of strength that he could from his broken body, grappling desperately at the Force as it tried to elude him and he could feel the room collapsing inwards, being destroyed by his hysterical efforts.

"Calm yourself, Lord Vader," a gravelly voice spoke from above him. Anakin jerked his head upward, to find that not only could he not move, but he could not see. He heard a hand place itself against his metal frame, his _container_, he thought disgustedly, and the Force was drawn abruptly away from him. A needle jabbed into the base of his neck as the ruined Jedi tried to wrench himself away from the contact that he could not feel and a cool liquid flooded his veins, rendering him once again motionless.

Despite the futility, Anakin still raged internally, screaming at Palpatine, willing with every fibre of his being to save her. Padmé, _his Padmé_, was _dying_. He could save her, he had to save her. He had to, no matter the cost, no matter the lives sacrificed for hers. He couldn't live without her, not ever. Yet his rebellious will could not fight the tranquillizers and as his consciousness slipped from his grasp, Anakin felt sorrow consume him. She would die; there was nothing he could do now to help. He had failed her. Everything had been for nothing. His last thought though, as he passed into oblivion, was not of his lost love, and the name escaped from his mouth for a second time, little more than an exhalation of breath.

"Luke."

He still had not yet grasped its meaning, or its tremendous importance.

* * *

Obi-Wan had to stop himself from crushing the bundle in his arms as Padmé screamed again. Why was he standing here? It shouldn't be him beside her, it should be Anakin. Anakin, his Padawan, the boy who always put others before himself, the young slave who had risked his life to help complete strangers, the confident Jedi who had fought beside him in the Clone Wars, who had helped, _saved_ innumerable lives. How had he turned into that monster? A Sith who cared about no one, not his comrades, not his former Master, not even his wife.

The Jedi Master focused again on the labouring Senator as she gave one final push and her second child was born, wailing, much like the first. Though, Obi-Wan thought, not quite like Luke. The boy's cry still echoed in his senses, and the Jedi was sure that he had seen Yoda recoil as Luke announced his new presence in the world. An exceptionally gifted child, certainly, like his father. Obi-Wan frowned as he returned to his sour train of thought, and gladly accepted the baby from the med-droid.

"Leia," Padmé whispered harshly, barely having the strength to raise her head and look at her daughter. She was fading, and fast. Obi-Wan moved to let her cradle the children in her arms, but the Senator shifted away, shaking her head.

"Padmé," the Jedi began, but the woman interrupted him.

"Obi-Wan," she began, even softer than before, only her steely determination allowing her to speak at all, "there…there is still good in him."

Obi-Wan's throat suddenly became dry as he realized who she was talking about. Anakin…

"I know," she continued, "there is... still…"

The Jedi closed his eyes in sympathy and squeezed Padmé's hand as her head fell back against the bed. Already, he could barely detect the life that once shone so brightly in this remarkable woman.

"_I have to save her!"_

Obi-Wan shook his head as Anakin's… no, as the _Sith's_ words came back to him, and it was all he could do to keep from screaming into the void, as though he might reach his ears and heart.

'Oh Anakin,' he thought, 'Can you truly not see? That this, what you became, that darkness…'

'That is what killed Padmé Amidala.'

* * *

Anakin felt himself stirring and reached out with the Force to get bearing of his surrounds.

"Lord Vader, can you hear me?"

Anakin felt the Dark Lord's presence only moments before he understood that man was speaking to him. He turned his head, encased in what he could only assume was a mask, toward the Emperor.

"Yes Master."

Master. How bitter that word felt on his tongue. Why should it though? The Chancellor had been loyal to him, truthful to him. He was the _only one_ who had given him honesty and understanding, rather than pain and rejection. The only one who had been able to…

"Padmé," he suddenly exclaimed, cursing himself for forgetting, "Where is Padmé? Is she safe? Is she alright?"

And just like that, the atmosphere of the room twisted and the temperature dropped nearly a dozen degrees. Anakin held his breath as he waited for his Master to respond.

"It seems that… in your anger, you… killed her." the Emperor spoke softly, though there was something in his tone that sent alarm bells off in the fallen Jedi's head.

Not that Anakin heard them. He could do nothing but stare into the space until he found his voice again.

"No…Impossible… that's impossible!" he whispered violently, searching his Master's gaze for some lie, some falseness in the confession. He flung out his awareness brutally seeking for some flicker of Padmé in the threads of the Force. But Anakin Skywalker found neither, and his world went brilliantly black.

"No… NO… NOOOOOOOO!"

Vader could barely feel the emotions building inside him, exploding outwards in all directions. He recognized neither the darkness that was consuming his soul, nor the destruction he was wreaking around him. But passions inside of him continued only to grow and the Sith Lord was completely surrounded, frenzied by them. He didn't know how much time passed in that state, but at some point he realized that it wasn't rage. Oh the rage was boiling furiously in him, ready to twist and consume his soul. But it was suppressed by something much stronger, and much more devastating.

Despair.

Wild, tumbling despair gripped the young man and shook him in a way that nothing he had ever experienced before had. He lost all sense of self, all sense of the Force, except for that drowning despair. It was all he was now; a shell of a man, hollowed out by loss and destruction. Destruction that he had tried to stop. Destruction that he _could not_ stop. Palpatine had lied to him. _Lied_. The anger bubbled up in him anew, feeding the despair as he came to this realization. Darth Sidious had promised him that he could save Padmé. That he _would_ save her. And yet she was dead. Permanently and irrevocably dead. Some morbid part of him wanted to start laughing at that thought: of course _Darth Sidious_ had lied to him. The Emperor was a Sith Lord, what had he honestly been expecting? It was his own blasted fault for naively believing that Sidious would tell him the truth, that he would care about him. A Sith did not care for anyone; he would know…

'NO!' Anakin practically screamed at himself. He would not, _not_, become a Sith. He could not! Not after Padmé had died for his darkness. Not after…

Luke.

"_Father …help me!"_

_Darth Vader stood silently beside the Emperor, as the lightening shot from Palpatine's hands to Luke's prone body, watching as his son writhed in pain_.

His son. His beautiful, newborn, baby son. Not only his son, but _Padme's _son, too. For Luke, he could not become a Sith. That vision… he had not prevented his love's death. The darkness and anger, they hadn't done anything to help her. They had killed her… no. He had killed her; he had failed her, and it was because of _him _that she was dead! The very thought made him want to stab his lightsaber into his own heart, but a new fire burned in him, sustaining him, preventing his suicide. He would not make the same mistake again.

He would fight with every ounce of strength he had if it meant that his son would be safe. Meant that his son could laugh, and smile and live happily, away from the Darth Sidious and his vile Empire.

For their son, he would do anything.

* * *

"To Tatooine, you go?"

Obi-Wan looked at the green Jedi master, and nodded his assent.

"Yes Master. I will watch over the boy, keep him safe." the Jedi replied, sadly. Yoda looked at him warily.

"Careful you must be, Obi-Wan. Attachment only hurt you further, it will. As it was with the father hmm?"

Obi-Wan looked away from the Master's searching gaze, but understood his warning. He had failed with Anakin; he could not afford to do so with Luke.

"I appreciate the advice, Master," Obi-Wan said, "but I do not believe I will make the same mistakes with Luke as I did with his father."

"Oh, his father, you failed? The blame is not yours alone, Obi-Wan. Failed Anakin Skywalker, we all did; himself included."

Obi-Wan nodded to the green Master, but said nothing in return. Yoda seemed content to let the subject to drop, though, and they walked in silence to the docking-bay. The two bowed to each other as they prepared to depart, but as Obi-Wan turned away, Yoda's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Clouded, the Force still is," he said quietly, "But not only darkness the future clouds; hides it from us, the light as well."

"What do you mean, Master?" Obi-Wan asked hesitantly.

"Know, even I do not." the short Jedi responded, "But uncertain the future still is. Meditate further on this I will. On Degobah, find me you will; when young Skywalker is ready."

Obi-Wan once again bowed low to his master, and made his way to his ship without another word. Bail was waiting for him just before it, holding the two twins in his arms. He looked up as Obi-Wan entered.

"They will never know each other," he said, more of a statement than a question.

Obi-Wan gently shook his head.

"They will grow up without one another," he said, carefully, "but the Force is strong in them both. Extraordinarily strong. I do not imagine that their paths will never cross in the future."

Bail's eyes snapped to the Jedi's and he nodded in acknowledgement. He handed Obi-Wan one of the cloth-swathed children, and the man accepted the tiny weight, still marvelling at the boy's warmth. Bail bowed briefly towards the Jedi and Obi-Wan bowed in return.

"May the Force be with you," the senator said, before backing away to his own ship.

Obi-Wan started for a second, as the suddenly unfamiliar phrase echoed in his mind. It was with a heavy, troubled heart that he whispered a reply.

"May the Force be with us all."


	3. Act I: Part II

**Act I: Part II**

Anakin sat in his prison of a room, drumming his fingers against his chair in frustration. No, not his fingers – whatever mechanical appendages those droids had equipped to him after his dreadful _accident_. Accident, right, Anakin thought. His battle with Obi-Wan was no accident, and while part of his was strangely grateful that he had not killed his old Master, or been killed by him, part of him screamed in frustration at being stuck inside this horrible metal cage. But he was going to fix that.

He had suspected for five months now, ever since waking up after the battle at Mustafar, that Sidious had compromised his healing process, so Anakin had decided to investigate it. After months of secret consultations with medics that were outside of the Emperor's direct influence and those who were easily manipulated by threat, Anakin had finally gotten a clear picture of what had happened.

After suffering third-degree burns to most of his body, his skin and the majority of his internal organs had been attached to his cybernetic suit in order to allow him to function to some degree of normality. The suit removed the sensations he could feel from his charred skin and his missing limbs had been filled in by crude metal substitutes. His lungs had been scarred significantly and it was only with pure oxygen and the implants that he could currently breathe at all. His hearing and sight were moderately damaged, but like his other injuries, not irreparable.

Skin grafts could fix the majority of the burns on his body, and along with facial reconstruction, could restore his appearance; bacta would eliminate the remaining scars. A lung transplant could replace his old, destroyed organs with new functional ones, completely eliminating the need for the implant and his limbs could be fitted with more realistic prosthetics. There was an experimental procedure he'd heard about to re-grow limbs and reattach them to the core of the body, but that was much too risky right now. Laser surgery would restore his hearing and eye sight. None of this particularly worried Anakin though. The Emperor had bequeathed him two other, more difficult problems.

Implants, all along his spinal cord and nervous system interfered with his neurological activities and misled his brain into believing there was no damage to be repaired. So, although he had naturally remarkable healing abilities, like all Jedi, his body thought there was nothing to heal.

'Although,' Anakin thought, 'I'm not a Jedi anymore, and the Sith don't exactly hold high regard for healing abilities.'

Not only that, but the Emperor provided him with a constant supply of addictive stimulants specially designed to increase his strength and resilience, and substituted for the impairments of the suit and his trouble accessing the Force. He'd been slowly weaning himself off the drugs, but it had been horribly more difficult than he'd imagined, and he couldn't have the Emperor suspecting anything. Luckily, nobody cared what went down his garbage chute, and he had been able to sieve the chemicals out of his suit.

Sighing, he brought up the list of medical officers aboard the Exactor, looking for the one medic he had singled out earlier: Shian Janken. The woman was one of the best doctors in the Imperial fleet, having been expelled from the First General Hospital on Coruscant for "unorthodox" methods and an infamous disregard for hospital regulations.

Not only that, but she was married to an officer in the 203rd division, and had one child, being raised by her grandparents on Tepsai. If the woman valued the lives of her family, she would do what Darth Vader ordered.

Part of Anakin cringed as that thought passed through his mind. Too often he still felt his mind wander to dark thoughts, and revel in his anger, wanting to destroy and kill. The missions that the Emperor was sending him on didn't help either; destroy this government, kill that settlement, torture these people. The orders never seemed to stop, but Anakin often was able to use his body as an excuse to avoid some of the more… strenuous activities.

The suit limited his movement significantly, and slightly impeded his ability to contact the Force, though he suspected that development had nothing to do with the ensemble. But, Anakin was milking it for all it was worth, acting angry and sorrow-ridden everywhere he went, and claiming great difficulty in even feeling the Force anymore. He remembered with some satisfaction the shock and fury in Sidious' eyes when he first announced that little fact. There was nothing he could do though if his poor, desolate apprentice could not get over his wife's horrible death at _his own _hands.

Anakin chuckled at the memory; he worried that he had being pouring it on too thick, but the Emperor was backed into a corner no matter what he said. He'd needed his apprentice to fully embrace his darkness and rage after Padmé's death, it wasn't his fault if there were some unwarranted side effects.

There was a knock at his door, and Anakin pulled himself away from the screen, calling his permission for entry.

"Lord Vader, you requested my presence?"

Anakin turned around to look at his guest, careful to keep his demeanour cool and intimidating as he faced the doctor. Shian was a tall, wraith-like woman, overall quite plain, with long narrow features and thin brown hair that fell just below her chin. Her face and eyes though, burned with determination and Anakin knew at first glance that she'd be just the person he needed.

"Yes, in fact I require your assistance with something. Have a seat; I anticipate that we'll be having a rather long discussion."

Anakin read the moment of hesitation and alarm that flashed through her face and body quiet easily, but she sat down quickly regardless, her face tight and completely void of emotions.

"Now understand this, clearly," Anakin began, his voice harsh and demanding, "no word of this discussion is to pass your lips beyond this room. Your comrades, your family, even the emperor; you will not tell a soul."

"My Lord, the emp…" the woman began, startled, but Anakin fiercely interrupted her.

"You will tell no one!" he snapped, and the medic promptly shut her mouth. "I'd hate to imagine what would happen to your dear, little Emyi if you even think of disobeying me."

Janken paled, her eyes displaying fear for the first time since the medic had entered the office, and she quickly nodded her agreement. Anakin leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes briefly to regain control over his emotions; he needed to act the Sith, but he couldn't lose himself to it.

"What do you see when you look at me, Doctor?" he asked, breaking the tense silence.

"My Lord, I'm not sure what you mean…" Shian stammered, truly confused at the Lord's meaning.

"What do you see?" Anakin exclaimed, gesturing wildly, "This body, this prison, made of nothing but wires and machines. Do you see a human being when you look at this?"

"My Lord…" she began, just barely avoiding his gaze.

"I want an answer, Janken." Anakin demanded, easing up just slightly on his imperialness.

The medic appeared thoughtful for a minute, before whispering softly, as if it might spare her his punishment.

"No, My Lord. I do not."

Anakin smiled grimly behind the mask; he appreciated her honestly, but it would get her killed one day in this Empire.

"Good," he said calmly, "Neither do I."

At that her neck snapped up, her mouth open and eyes wide in shock.

"That is what you are going to change." Anakin reached behind him for the datapad as he spoke, and tossed it to the disbelieving medic, who caught it easily.

"Read those files here," he told her, "and memorize the information. I want your professional opinion on how you can restore my body to something… more human."

Shian nodded and quickly opened the pad, scanning the contents quickly, but thoroughly. Anakin waited patiently, observing her face for any disturbance or expression. For the majority of the reports, he saw absolutely nothing. His injuries had been severe, but quite reparable, as he thought. It wasn't until the doctor got to the final files that he saw her eyes widen in surprise and understanding.

"You see now," Anakin said gently, "the need for absolute discretion."

"Yes, sir," she spoke briskly, determination once again flaring to life as she handed the datapad back to him. Anakin returned it to its compartment before looking at her expectantly.

"If you wish to regain your body my Lord, I foresee no major difficulty," she said confidently, "Everything is more or less standard procedure, but…"

"But…?" Anakin asked dryly.

"There is a lot of work to be done," she declared bluntly, "and I don't see how it can be accomplished with the necessary degree of ... discretion."

Anakin nodded thoughtfully. He'd already known that, but he had an idea for overcoming the difficulty as well.

"I will be… injured, at some point in the near future," he said, "Quite seriously injured; most likely by some Rogue Jedi. But I can be indisposed for no longer than a few days, you understand Doctor?"

The medic nodded, her brain working furiously, planning just how she might pull this off.

"Five days should be sufficient, my Lord, but no less. And I'll need to get all the supplies well before hand."

"Very well. I'll provide you will a secure network to gather what information you need, and contacts for smugglers who have shown true appreciation for this kind of job. Are the facilities here competent?"

"Completely," she replied quickly. "Of all the ships in the fleet, we probably have one of the most advanced and comprehensive medical departments. Possibly because of your previous accident, my Lord."

Anakin smiled at that; knowing Sidious it was probably true. The Emperor would never risk the life of his precious pawn unnecessarily.

"Alright. Is that all, then?" he asked hopefully.

"Uh, well in regards to the stimulants, sir…"

"I've been decreasing my intake gradually for the last two months, Janken." Anakin interjected, "I will

continue to do so, but I'm currently at about 30% of the listed levels."

"At this point then, my Lord" she informed him, "you could go cold turkey without any permanent damage. Serious pain and discomfort certainly, but that would be temporary."

Anakin nodded – he'd put up with what he had to – and gestured for the woman to continue.

"It will probably take two weeks to gather everything that I need, but otherwise I can operate at any time."

"Very well. I will be sure not to obtain any injuries for at least two weeks, Doctor. You are dismissed."

She stood up and saluted sharply, with a small smile on her face, and exited the apartment without another word.

Anakin was grinning broadly under his helmet, and turning his mind to his part in this, brought up the schematics for his suit on the datapad.

Oh this was going to be fun.

* * *

It was only a few weeks after Anakin's first meeting with Janken that he found the perfect opportunity to execute his plan. It seemed that a small conclave of Jedi was meeting at the spice mines of Kessel, supposedly led by Obi-Wan Kenobi. Anakin snorted at that idea; Obi-Wan was not nearly that foolish.

But Darth Vader had made no secret of his obsession with tracking down his old Master, though the Emperor had continually rebuked him for his fixation on finding the Jedi.

He had faced very few other Jedi in the last few months, but had been ordered to kill them to remove all threats to the Emperor's dictatorship. Most of them had had the sense to hide and flee from the approaching Sith Lord, and Vader had performed an extensive search for them, only to find that the reports on their wherabouts were "false". Then there had been the odd ones who openly attacked him, forcing Anakin to kill them.

'Forced', Anakin thought with disgust. It was a feeble excuse at best and one that made him painfully nauseous. He could have merely wounded the Jedi, or rendered them unconscious, but that just would've provided them with more opportunities to track Vader in the future. Not to mention it would have angered his Master immeasurably. Though the Emperor was visibly disappointed and angry with his apprentice's failure to find Jedi and his "trouble" with the Force, the Knights that the he had killed had prevented the Dark Lord from becoming suspicious. That was all that Anakin needed for now.

He knew his Master would be furious when he learned that he had gone to the spice mines to confront the Jedi without his knowledge, but hopefully, the Emperor would be busy with other things for a few days.

"My Lord, we are approaching the Kessel system. We will arrive at the planet in approximately five minutes," One of Vader's generals said; a man by the name of Vino he believed. The man had the good sense not to argue with the Sith when he had announced their new destination and had made no move to inform the Emperor of his apprentice's intentions.

"Good. Prepare my shuttle," the Dark Lord ordered curtly and swept imperially of the bridge. It was time; may the Force be with him.

* * *

Anakin carefully shielded his presence as he approached the abandoned mine; he had run through the scenario a thousand times in the mind, but his apprehension only grew as the time drew near.

It was only moments later that Vader stopped outside the door of the abandoned shaft and without another second of hesitation, he smashed open the door, surrendering his mind to the fight.

"WHERE IS OBI-WAN KENOBI!" the Dark Lord roared, the Force billowing around him darkly as he fed it his anger and despair.

"Not here, Sith." One of the Jedi spoke; Anakin recognized her as Shadday Potkin, a Jedi master, "His name baited your trap."

'Well I knew that', he thought wryly, carefully trying to find balance between the darkness in his mind and his final objective.

"The first one to tell me where to find him lives. The rest of you die." The Dark Lord bit out with tightly concealed relief.

With that statement, though, he felt one of the Jedi snap and charge him. Quickly, the Sith slashed off the Knight's hand, stabbing his lightsaber through the foolish woman's chest. The Jedi fell to the ground, but the wound was just right of the heart; she'd live if she didn't wake up too soon. Five of the other Jedi quickly surrounded him, but Vader noted the faces of the two that hung back. He'd do his best to avoid killing them at the very least.

The Sith pushed forward, aggressively engaging the two Jedi in front of him while simultaneously using the Force to push the woman behind him against the mine's wall. With the distraction he pressed forward again, nearly taking off the Nikto's head. Never stopping his motion he swung around at the Jedi behind him, opening a large gash in the blue man's stomach. That wound wouldn't be fatal either, so long as the Jedi eventually managed to stop the bleeding.

Potkin finally pressed her own attack, using not a lightsaber, Vader realized too late, but a cortosis blade. His lightsaber shut off instantaneously as they clashed, but he reached out brutally past Potkin's guard snapping her neck and taking the blade in one swoop.

The Jedi paused their attack just for a moment as their comrade fell to the floor, and Vader disabled the blades of the three remaining Jedi. He managed to inflict a deep wound across a blond man's back, when the two other Jedi finally decided to join the fray. The Aleen deftly sliced off his empty arm with his lightsaber, but Vader ignored the severed limb and disabled his blade as well. The Nikto pressed the advantage, managing to inflict a shallow wound across his shoulder, but the Dark Lord sliced straight through his side in one smooth motion.

The Dark Lord backed up as the only remaining female pressed her attack, but Vader stopped her blade as well and sent her flying with the Force. Discarding the now useless sword, the Sith called the blade from one of the fallen Jedi, the blade humming to life in his hand. Following his example, one of the standing Jedi, a dark skinned, black-haired man, called the only other working lightsaber from the first woman who'd attacked him.

'A foolish move', Anakin thought. He could see the intention for retreat on the faces of the other two remaining Jedi, who had originally avoided the battle.

"I will ask you one more time: Where is Obi-Wan Kenobi?" Vader exuded confidence now, only three of the original eight Jedi were still standing, and his injuries barely impaired him. The Sith felt the rage explode from the man, the Force twisted and seething as he jumped forward.

"DIE!" the man screamed, his eyes a sick mix of yellow and red. Vader beheaded him easily, fighting the bile that rose in his throat; how easily Jedi turned to the Dark Side.

Before he could even turn to the other Jedi though, a barrage of rubble slammed into him and the Dark Lord finally yelled out in pain, summoning a force-shield around him. Heavier metal objects - mining carts Vader dazedly realized - continued the barrage, and although he was protected from most of the debris, he couldn't escape. When the siege had finally stopped, he scattered the pile of objects with an explosion of Force and examined the chamber. Four bodies remained; the first woman he cut down and the Nikto had been rescued by the two retreating Jedi. Anakin, sighed wearily; it was over. He had killed two Jedi directly, but out of eight that was better than he had actually expected. Fatigue suddenly set in, and Anakin retrieved his own lightsaber as he forced his battered body back to his ship.


	4. Act I: Part III

**A****ct I: Part III**_**  
**_

"What do you mean, unavailable?"

The Emperor's voice was beyond scathing as he addressed General Vino on the bridge. Apparently, not only had the Emperor been unaware of their detour to Kessel almost a week ago, but he was extremely livid at Lord Vader (and thus at the Dark Lord's subordinates as well) because of it. All the General could do was try to appease him.

"He received numerous injuries on Kessel, your Majesty; he has been undergoing treatment for the past few days."

"Injuries!" the Emperor roared; Vino winced, so much for placating him. It was not best to keep the Sith waiting.

"Ye- yes your Majesty. According to Lord Vader he engaged a number of Jedi on the planet plotting against the Empire. They were all destroyed, but Lord Vader was wounded in the battle."

"You are sure that all the Jedi were killed, General?" the Emperor asked after a moment's contemplation.

"Absolutely, your Majesty," the General answered quickly. Realizing the potential danger though, he hurriedly added, "that is how Lord Vader informed me."

"Very well, General," the Emperor said, sounding almost amused at the man's antics, "Now what of his injuries?"

"With your permission, your Majesty, I will have the Exactor's leading medic inform you of Lord Vader's condition."

The Emperor nodded silently, and Doctor Janken stepped forward.

"Lord Vader sustained severe injuries to his lungs and breathing apparatus, as well as to his lower back. He also obtained minor injuries to his right shoulder and neck. His left arm was completely severed, his right ankle, partially. We replaced his damaged limbs and are repairing the damage to his breathing system. None of the other injuries were life-threatening, and should be completely healed within the next few days."

Janken gave a short, polite bow to the Emperor and stepped back after finishing her report

"And why wasn't Vader returned to Coruscant after he acquired these injuries?" the Emperor demanded of the General, rage once again evident in his voice. Vino recoiled, but kept his tone cool and professional as he addressed the Sith.

"Lord Vader specifically ordered that he be treated aboard the ship, your Majesty. We were more than equipped to handle the damage, so given my Lord's command, we did not think it necessary to return."

"Well General I see that was an error on your part," the Emperor drawled coldly, and Vino tensed up, hardly daring to breathe, "But I'm sure Lord Vader would have been most upset had he been disobeyed. Return to Coruscant, General. _Now_."

"Right away, your Majesty," the man said utterly relieved, and turned to the pilots. "Set course for Coruscant."

"Oh, and General," the Emperor called him back to the holopad. "Set guards around Lord Vader's room until he is off the ship. Only certified medical personnel are allowed to enter."

"Of course your Majesty." the General responded, bowing deeply, and the screen finally winked out.

"General Vino?" one of the pilots called him, and he turned his attention to the youth.

"What is it?" he snapped.

"Sir, we seem to be experiencing some problems with the hyperdrive generator. I've sent somebody to assess its conditions, but it'll likely take some hours to fix." the pilot reported quite nervously.

"You'd better hope that it doesn't take longer than that," the man threatened, "Or else it's your head on the line."

The pilot gulped, nodding furiously, and General Vino strode angrily off the bridge.

* * *

"Lord Vader, can you hear me?"

Anakin groaned at the voice interrupting his sleep, and blearily opened his eyes. But he saw only fuzzy darkness, and panic immediately began to set in.

"Lord Vader," the soft voice began again.

"Yes, yes," he snapped, "I can hear you just fine! But I can't see a freaking thing!"

"Well that's because you have bandages wrapped around your head." The voice replied amused.

Anakin froze in confusion as the memories started trickling back into his mind; Kessel, the Jedi trap, his surgery.

"How long until I can take them off?" he asked quietly, finally remembering why he was here.

"We'll take them off now, but you'll have to keep away from bright light for a few days," Janken replied, "The filters in your helmet are sufficient, but I also have a pair of sunglasses as you requested. They're designed specifically to reduce the stress on your eyes, but still don't look into any bright lights for a few weeks. Now stay still while I remove the bandages."

Anakin followed her instructions, sensing urgency in her tone and motions. The hand that unwrapped the thick cloth though was careful and deliberate, and after a few minutes, Anakin could see the sharp outlines of the last layer.

"Alright," the medic said softly, "I'm taking off the final wrap. Are you ready?"

Anakin only nodded, and all of a sudden he could see again. Not particularly well mind you, since the lights had been dimmed to all but complete darkness. What he could see though was sharper and cleared then everything he'd seen in the last few months, and he was… overjoyed. A small object swiftly floated in front of his face, and he looked up at the medic standing over him.

"Here, put the glasses on; I'll turn up the lights a little and brief you on the situation."

Anakin slipped them on gently, only then just realizing that his hands weren't covered in leather and metal any more. They were flesh, real flesh. Even if he knew that the underneath was just the same, it made a world of difference. The room started to become lighter and although he was unused to it, the light wasn't painful at all.

"The surgeries were a complete success," the medic exclaimed, taking a seat beside the young man's bed. "The droids performed skin grafts over your torso and face, and the reconstructive operation went without a hitch. The implants were removed, and I performed a final scan, just to be sure that they hadn't missed any. Top of the line prosthetics replaced your simpler metal limbs and bacta removed most of the scarring from the surgery. You may have some faint scars on your body, but that depends on how well your healing system can kick back into gear."

"The same goes for your lungs. Although the transplant was successful, your upper airway is still damaged, and we installed a much more discreet breathing system to compensate. You shouldn't be able to even feel the system inside you, and it's not necessary to remove it – and I wouldn't recommend it. I also had the droids install small follicle implants into your skull, to help your hair grow back; the implants are organic though, meaning they'll essentially help create new follicle cells and break down after a few weeks. Finally, your hearing and eyesight have been completely restored, though you'll have to be careful about intense lighting and loud noises for a little while. Oh, and about the drugs, you may experience some minor withdrawal effects, but the toxicity level in your blood is barely identifiable, so there should be nothing too severe."

"Thank you Shian," Anakin said kindly, marvelling at his scratchy, hoarse, _real_ voice. "I truly, truly appreciate this."

"I can tell, my Lord," the medic whispered, smiling softly, "I can tell."

Anakin returned her smile and she cleared her throat, visibly embarrassed.

"My Lord," she said nervously, "I hate to be the bearer of the bad news but Palpatine contacted the ship, just under an hour ago."

Anakin immediately tensed up, but he forced himself to remain calm; he'd been expecting this, and he'd prepared accordingly. He threw the sheets off his body, and grabbed the simple clothes from the dresser in the corner.

"Did the droids alter the suit like I'd ordered?" he asked breathlessly, as he struggled to put on the clothing.

"Yes sir, I inserted the program as you'd asked," Janken replied, concern evident in her expression, "And I check that none of the droids have any memory of your original operation; only the ones for the wounds that you supposedly obtained on Kessel. But sir, you really shouldn't be moving around too much…"

"Unfortunately, I don't have time to rest," Anakin replied assertively, "Where is suit, and the lightsabers?"

"Everything should be in the adjoining room," Shain answered, deciding it was better not to argue with the Sith Lord. "I must warn you though, there are clone troopers stationed outside your rooms and in all the adjacent hallways. And the Emperor ordered us to return to Coruscant, though why we haven't left yet, I don't –"

"The hyperdrive generator is experiencing a minor malfunction," he interrupted, "But that will only last for another hour or two. You'd best leave now, Janken."

Shian was obviously torn between her need to oversee her patient and concern for her own well being. Anakin skilfully reassured her.

"Return to the medical wing, and review the files from my latest scans and reports. I don't plan on sticking around here long enough for the Emperor to find out what I've done, and I can promise you there will be casualties. I wouldn't care for you to be among them."

The medic was shocked at his blatant admission, but nodded slowly and turned to exit the room.

"Oh and Shian," Anakin called to her as she prepared to step out the door, "I can't express how eternally grateful I am to you. I wish there was something I could give you in return, but in the circumstances, I can only promise that if we meet again in the future, I will do anything I can to assist you." Then, the young man paused uncertainly, as if contemplating his next words,

"May the Force be with you."

Just like that he was gone, and Shian Janken stared after him in shock and admiration. She never saw Darth Vader again.

* * *

Anakin stood the heavy armour up beside the bed, as he began to create the scene of Darth Vader's death. He'd placed an order for a fake cadaver, tailor-made to the his description and mechanical implants, even before he'd arranged for his surgeries. A couple of changes in the medical identification system aboard the ship would confirm the body's identity under a DNA test, and his medical reports carried a tiny, undetectable virus that would pass the recognition onto any computer that accessed them. Taking the lightsaber that he'd taken from the Jedi on Kessel, he quickly stabbed into the carcass' right shoulder, and swiped of its head. Satisfied that the body had fallen realistically he checked the status of the security cams in the hallways to the hanger - he'd set them on loop just a few minutes ago. Everything was still in place, so he secured the new lightsaber on his belt – his old one rested in the corpse's hand – and slid open the door.

"Who –"

Anakin didn't let the guard finish his question before he attacked him. The troopers had no preparation for an attack from the room, so it only took Anakin a few seconds to neutralize them. Wasting no time, Anakin all but ran down the corridors, taking care that nobody caught so much of a glimpse of him. His private section of the hanger was empty and he carefully walked into the seemingly empty hall.

Pulling lightly at the Force to guide him, Anakin manoeuvred around the hidden V-19 and climbed up into the cockpit. He grinned at the comfortable feeling and started up the engines. In moments he came barrelling out of the launch bay, performing incredible, invisible, aerial acrobatics, his response time and control almost as good as they had been as a Jedi. He flew away from the Imperial starship until it was nothing but a small gray speck in the distance, and deactivated the cloaking device. As he prepared to enter hyperspace, he took one last look at the ship in the distance, and let the Force snap around him angrily. Then, in a single instant, he pulled it all back and smothered his presence, and without a second thought, activated the hyperdrive.

The ship, along with Anakin Skywalker, disappeared into darkness of space, once again enveloped in the light.

* * *

AN: So... this has been a while. Unfortunately school decided to start again and now I do nothing but study. And do labs... Sooooooo many labs. Ugh. Why am I in the most difficult undergrad program in my university? If I was really smart I would've dropped out into something else last year after that disaster, but noooo I just had to go an be stubborn. Anyways this was originally one chapter, but my wonderful, awesome, also university-logged beta made me realize how long it was. So now it's a double update... YAY! Hope y'all enjoy!


	5. Act I: Part IV

**Act I: Part IV**_**  
**_

The burning suns bore down on the unfortunate citizens of Mos Eisley as Anakin walked through the city's sandy streets. He was a fair way from the property that he had bought just a couple weeks ago near Spacer's Row. Prior to his escape from the Empire, he'd withdrawn a relatively small amount of funds out of his Imperial Starfleet account. Compared to the extravagant pay he received in the Empire's service, the amount was little more than spare change. However in addition to the money he'd salvaged from selling the starfighter he'd escaped with, the funds had been more than enough to secure him passage to the Outer Rim as well as the dwelling which served as both his shop and his home.

The location was great for a junk dealership, and he'd already received a few customers while he'd been getting the shop up and running. Once business picked up though, even he wouldn't be able to run the shop alone. So here he was in Tar Mass, full of revulsion and loathing, as he headed to a particularly nasty Rodian slave-dealer by the name of Rarekk. He was known for his borderline-lethal treatment of his 'merchandise' and cheap prices as a result.

The day was unusually hot, even for Tatooine, and Anakin could feel the sweat pouring off his body, soaking his simple tan clothes and hair. He had hair now, though it was still fairly short, and not his usual dark blonde colour. He had died it a dark brown before he had landed on the planet; he couldn't risk anyone identifying him. Anakin Skywalker needed to stay dead, at least for now. He had also obtained some simple, removable facial prosthetics that alter the shape of his face, just enough that when he looked in the mirror he saw a different face staring back at him. In a way it was fitting. He was neither Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker nor the Sith Lord Darth Vader now. He was a completely new person, with a new life and a new look. The only thing that he hadn't changed was the colour of his eyes. He felt more comfortable being able to see that normal, human blue in his reflection, rather than the vicious red-yellow he'd possessed as a Sith.

When he arrived at the shop, Anakin checked his weapons quickly before heading inside. He was armed to his teeth with blasters and knives not only for his own protection, but for the respect and wariness he would gain from them. He'd wanted to carry a lightsaber on him, but even having one in a private environment was too risky. The 'Jedi Purge' was going strong, and the Empire was constantly on the look-out for any Jedi traitors, even on a planetary cesspool like Tatooine.

The building was dimly lit and fairly spacious, but Anakin had to crush his nausea at the sight of the cages and chains. One day, Anakin swore, he would wipe out slavery on this planet; he owed it to his mother's memory, and to his son's future.

"Wellcome, Wellcome. How may I hellp you today?" The voice interrupted Anakin's thoughts, and he turned around to face the blue-skinned Rodian. The young man swallowed tightly, but managed to keep his tone cold and business-like.

"I need a female human, in her late-twenties preferably. Strong, in good health and with some technical knowledge." Anakin hated himself for saying it and the words kept echoing in his head, reminding him of his own days as a slave. However, whoever he found here would have a better life than most people on Tatooine.

"Ah I have two women who fit that description quite perfectly. Follow me." The Rodian replied excitedly. Anakin followed him mutely, discreetly averting his eyes from the captives around him. The pair moved into one of the smaller back rooms, and stopped in front of a group of women tied to the wall.

"Up, UP!" the alien roared and the women jumped shakily to their feet, "Sstand in a lline all of you, hurrrry!"

They obeyed hurriedly, but Anakin could tell that they were exhausted, starved and dehydrated; they could barely stand on their own two feet.

"These two here," Rarekk said, pointing out two women in the middle of the line-up, "are what you're looking for. Twenty-ssix and twenty-eight yearss olld, respectivelly. Errssha," he continued, pointing to the first woman, "worrked in a junk shop for five yearss, in ssale and rrepairr. Timka worked in a weapsons shop, then for a starship company for many years, and most recently as a mechanic."

Anakin made a show of looking over both women carefully, inspecting their entire bodies, though he had more or less made his decision.

The first girl was quite striking, with long, white-blond hair and sculpted features. She was slim and curvy though, no matter the maltreatment, and looked quite inept and unconvincing. Therez wasn't a single blemish on her body, except for the faint lines on her wrists from the shackles. Wherever she'd worked, she had been nothing more than a lure, an attraction for the customers. Timka though displayed her experience clearly. Calluses hands, wiry muscles on her arms and back, small scars from mechanical accidents, and sharp, searching eyes. She was moderately attractive, with dark hair and strange light brown eyes, though she was a monster compared to the blonde. But that just clinched it for Anakin; Ersha would sell in a heartbeat, for nearly any customer, while Timka could be stuck here for a while.

As he inspected her, he gently reached out with the Force, softly her emotions but sending a reassuring presence. She was anxious as anyone would expect, but she seemed to be worried about someone other than herself: a family member perhaps? He turned back to the Rodian and jerked his hand towards the older woman.

"I'll take her." He spoke loudly, and almost immediately he heard a "No!" shouted out from the other corner of the room. Bingo, Anakin thought to himself as he turned toward the child who had shouted.

The boy was avoiding his gaze, and Rarekk immediately started on him.

"_Chuba werrmo_,–"

Anakin stepped in front of him and held up a hand for the alien to stop. He did so, but the rage did not leave his eyes. The former Jedi knew that he was going to have to take the boy with him, or else the kid would suffer Rarekk's wrath. He approached him slowly, taking the boy's chin in his hand as the child shied away.

"Stand," he ordered softly and the boy obeyed, shaking. Anakin smiled at him gently, making sure that Rarekk couldn't see and stood back. "What is your name and age, boy?" he asked, his voice harsh to mask his fatigue.

The youngster closed his eyes, but answered softly and dutifully.

"Dril, Master. I'm seven years old. Almost eight."

Anakin almost shook his head, but remembered the Rodian standing behind him. The boy was older than he looked. The young man waited and observed the boy for a couple minutes; he sensed something different about him, but he just couldn't figure out what. A tiny white Twi'lek close by began to hiss almost inaudibly as time stretched on, and as Anakin looked at her, he mentally groaned. Three it was then. The girl was marginally force-sensitive; not enough to have ever joined the Jedi, but enough that Anakin could sense it. He turned to the Rodian.

"The boy too, then, and the Twi'lek in the corner." He declared, and if the alien was surprised at his choice, he showed none of it. He merely nodded, and the two began to haggle. It only took a few minutes, and some "persuasion," before they closed the deal. All three cost him what the woman alone would've been in a more reputable shop, and they were well within the budget of his remaining funds.

He led the three out of the shop moments later, and they followed a respectable distance behind him. The two children were whispering frantically and the boy's mother was anxiously watching them. Anakin smiled to himself, but walked along silently until they were finally out a safe distance from Tar Mass, near the centre of the city.

He beckoned for the three to follow him as he ducked into one of the more private restaurants he knew of and grabbed them a table. He ordered drinks for all of them when the waitress came by, and discreetly signalled her to wait for a little while before bringing them anything. When she was out of earshot, he let out a deep sigh and ran his hand through his hair irritably, glancing across the table at his slaves. He really didn't know what exactly to say, but this eerie silence was killing him.

"Alright let's clear some things up." Anakin began, "First of all, I have no intention of keeping you as slaves."

Gasps escaped all three of them, but Anakin waved them all off and continued, "Slavery's barbaric and cruel, and I have no intention in taking part in it. However I did spend a significant amount of money on you three, so I have a proposition that should benefit us all."

He looked at Timka and she nodded slowly, obviously confused.

"I just recently started a junk shop, and I need someone to help me run it. I take it you have more than enough understanding," he said, gesturing towards the woman, "about such things. So if you help me with the shop, I'll provide you with housing, food, pretty much everything you'd need, until you pay off the debt. After that point I'll officially free you and, if your work is good, we'll run the shop together and split the profit evenly. What do you say?"

Anakin had to keep the grin off his face at the flabbergasted expression on the woman's face, but she recovered quickly.

"What if I decline?" she asked, softly, and Anakin could tell that she had no such intention.

"You work off the money I paid, and I free you. You can do whatever you like after that." He answered, and the young man could see the approval in Timka's eyes.

"Well then it's a deal of course." She replied quickly, "I just don't understand…"

"Why I'd do this?" Anakin interrupted, "Well, why not? I don't approve of slavery in any way, and this is much cheaper and more effective than hiring a bunch of unskilled hands until I find one that can pick up the work well enough. Not to mention you three get to have a decent life instead of being traded around like property."

"You used to be a slave, didn't you?"

Anakin turned to the Twi'lek girl, slightly startled. She just stared right back of him, before he nodded in response.

"I was. Here on Tatooine, in fact," He said, "But I got lucky, and was freed when I was eight. In fact, I got to travel across most of the galaxy after that."

"Why are you back then? I honestly can't think that anyone in their right mind would want to return to the place they were enslaved." Timka said. Anakin understood her suspicions, but he'd already planned for that question.

"Let's just say I had a few… disagreements with some Imperials." He suggested, "Normally I wouldn't hide away from something like that but I have a son. A son who's not even one year old. He deserves a father."

Timka looked at him with new understanding, and put her hand loosely on her own son's shoulder.

"And Tatooine's the last place anyone would look – they'd never imagine that you would want to come back."

Anakin nodded silently, both depressed and overjoyed at the mention of his son. He'd found his location only ten days after he escaped from the Exactor, and he was here on Tatooine. But Luke was in the custody of the Lars family, and Obi-Wan was sticking nearby pretty much all the time, so he hadn't even had a chance to see him yet. He felt kind of bad about taking the boy away from his aunt and uncle, but he was selfish. He needed his son to be with him, and he truly felt that Luke needed him too. Then there was Obi-Wan. Anakin had been painstakingly careful to conceal his presence on the desert planet. Obi-Wan had been annoyingly adept at sensing his padawan's presence when they were Jedi. That was probably one reason why he was watching over Luke. The kid needed someone to protect him from his own _father_.

The thought always hurt more that Anakin thought it would, especially being so close to his old Master. He'd considered approaching the Jedi, but he really couldn't think of anything he could possibly say. He'd said the most horrible words, and committed the most horrible betrayal any Jedi could commit. Anakin just couldn't bring himself to face Obi-Wan yet. He wanted his forgiveness so terribly, but he knew that he really didn't deserve it. He wouldn't ever deserve it, but… he would do what he could to repair the pure destruction he had wrought. His first priority, though, was to be the best damn father someone like him could be.

Out of the corner of his eye, Anakin saw the waitress standing by the bar with their drinks, obviously waiting for them to be finished the conversation. So, he decided to turn the discussion to a less painful topic.

"Take a look at your menus," he said, particularly to the two children, "You can order whatever you like."

The two children looked up delightedly and began skimming the list of dishes. Timka smiled at the kids and also took up her menu, more calmly. Anakin signalled the waitress over, and she came up to them and took their orders with a smile.

When she was gone again, Dril busied himself with his drink, marvelling at the sweet taste, while his mother seemed content just to mull the recent events over. The little Twi'lek though, was staring right at Anakin and the man pulled up an uneasy smile.

"You know, you never did tell me your name." he said, a bit off balance. The girl just blinked once and calmly answered back.

"Well, you never asked."

Anakin considered that for a moment, but she was right, he'd only asked the boy.

"True enough," he responded with a chuckle, "What is your name then?"

"It's Sienn'lae. I'm five years old," she said happily, actually sounded her age for once, "What's your name?"

Anakin laughed gently: "Well, you can call me Anion Neviin, or if you like, Ani for short."

Sienn'lae, looked at him curiously, and Anakin again couldn't believe that she was just five years old.

She caught on to him pretty quick.

"Okay, Ani." The girl spoke the name curiously, and Anakin felt a sharp pang inside him at his old nickname. The last person to call him that had been Padmé…

Anakin looked away from the young Twi'lek, abruptly putting a hand against his eyes to try and stop the tears and anger from rising inside of him. Sienn'lae seemed not to notice though, and started humming softly in contentment. The table fell silent again, and after a few minutes, the waitress returned with their food; he hadn't ordered anything. The children dug in ferociously, but Anakin didn't even have the strength to tell them to slow down. Timka did seem to sense his change of mood though and took charge of the children throughout the meal.

The rest of the day was a blur for Anakin. He brought Timka and the kids back to the shop and settled them in the house. Timka made herself right at home in the shop, familiarizing herself with the different items that Anakin had bought and collected. The kids seemed to enjoy the woman's monologue as she described everything to them, and Anakin was extremely relieved that she knew as much as she did.

He'd excused himself for a couple hours in the evening, returning with a new useful contact, a couple of astromech droids and a bag of random, unsorted parts. The kids were already asleep and he quickly flopped down on his own bed. He was absolutely exhausted, physically and mentally, and he had a few more rough days ahead of him. By the end of them though, he just might be able to see his son, to finally hold his beautiful baby boy in his arms. A quiet knock at his door made him sit up and he called his visitor in. Timka was still dressed in the rags that he'd bought her in, and he made a note to give her money for clothes tomorrow.

"Thank you," she said simply as she entered, and gave him a deep bow. Anakin just watched her, a bit stunned, but altogether too tired to react in any way.

"I really don't know how I can express my true gratitude for what you did today." The woman continued, "You gave us a chance at life, at a real life. I never dared to dream of something like this so… thank you. If there's anything you need, please tell me. It would be my honour to help you."

"You really don't have to thank-" Anakin managed to stammer out, but Timka interrupted him.

"Yes I do. I don't know what happened to you in the past, but it burdens you deeply, that much I can see. I am not asking you to trust me with that; I've done nothing at all to deserve your trust. But if there is any way I could lessen your anguish, I would do it. For you have eradicated my pain, my son's, and a wonderful girl's who can now live her life as something other than an object for sexual pleasure. For that you will always have my undying thanks… and my loyalty."

The woman gave him one last bow and left the room quietly. Anakin tried to process any of what he had heard, but only one thought stood out in his mind. Feeling his fatigue more than ever, he threw off his tunic and crawled into the bed.

"I may have your confidence…" he whispered quietly, "but I most certainly don't deserve it."

* * *

Anakin was training in the junkyard behind the shop when Timka found him the next morning. He had no lightsaber, and avoided using the force as much as possible, but Anakin felt better when he was in peak physical condition, especially after coming out of his suit. Meditation also helped him calm his mind and impulses, like the urge to run and see Luke right that very second. He'd forced himself to come up with a plan though. He couldn't risk his son's safety and possible discovery through recklessness.

He finished up his exercises and montioned to Timka, who was patiently standing in the doorway.

"What do you need?"he asked as she came over to him.

"I was wondering if I could do some shopping; you don't have much in the way of food or clothes."

Timka seemed to be much more confident than she'd been yesterday, unsurprisingly.

"I was just going to ask." Anakin interjected, "Get as much as you need, and if you see any good deals or parts while you're out, bring them back. I'm still low on inventory, so even if it's broken, I'll fix it."

Timka nodded in agreement.

"What about… well I noticed that you didn't really have anything for a baby… and you said your son–"

"He's been living with relatives. I was just going to leave today to get him, but I don't really know, uh, what he needs…" Anakin trailed off.

Timka understood at once and reassured him that she'd take care of it. Anakin gave her the money gratefully, and she bustled off with the two sleepy children. He shut down the building and wandered through some of the markets and casinos, looking for scraps he could salvage and earning a bit of extra cash.

The suns were low in the sky when Anakin finally returned home. He hopped on his new T-12 skyhopper and was soon speeding off into the horizon, towards his son.

* * *

AN: OMG it's an update! Funny how university (*cough* robot *cough*) can completely take over all aspects of your life and make you do nothing but stress and not sleep for months on end. Thank you SO MUCH to everybody who reviewed this story. You guys motivated me more than anything else to keep writing even when life (aka my robot... f***ing robot...) got in the way. Now that school is over for the summer I will be writing more often. Since I'm working in research full time, updates probably won't be as regular as I'd like, but I'll try my bestest. The next chapter is 95% complete, so expect it up in the next week or two. Until then!


	6. Act I: Part V

**Act I: Part V**_**  
**_

It took Anakin less than half an hour to get to his destination, just a few kilometres east of the Lars homestead. He had sent out a tracking droid into the desert when he first arrived, to find and monitor a small clan of raiders that had been further north of the moisture farm. They'd camped out for a few days, but then started attacking some of the farmers as the band moved south. With the right 'persuasion', they'd attack the farm and create a diversion. Owen knew well enough how to fight of the Sand People, so it was unlikely that he'd be seriously hurt while Anakin went to grab Luke. First he had to disable some of his brother-in-laws security devices though, else the Tusken Raiders wouldn't even get close enough to the farm to become a threat.

He left the airspeeder in a small chasm and used a navigational device to point him towards the farm. It took him another hour to get to the farm and by the time he'd finally arrived, the suns were hidden beneath the horizon and Ghomrassen was climbing through the sky. There wasn't much light, but Anakin could still already make out the electrical fencing surrounding the perimeter, droids patrolling the length. He took several small devices out from his pocket and quickly threw them onto the droids as the ycircled along, disabling their sensors. Once he'd gotten them all, the former Jedi approached the fence, carefully shorting it as well.

Once he was finished he looped around the north and began picking off pieces of the fence, leaving about a 10 metre gap. It was an unusual approach for Sand People, but hopefully the wrapped style boots he wore would eliminate some of the suspicion.

Anakin drew away from the property and, using as minimal Force as possible, called the devices back from the droids. He could feel his Luke's soft presence within the complex, and he almost, _almost_just ran back inside so that he could finally hold him and see him with his own eyes. The steps he took in to the desert only got harder as he headed towards the Raider camp – no matter how much he rationalized it, he still hated the things. In fact, he probably hated them even more than he hated Sidious and that was saying a great deal at the moment. This was not going to be fun. 

* * *

Anakin cursed for the hundredth time as he sprinted after the Sand People through the Dunes. He kept a respectful distance behind them, more for their safety than his own. _Obi-Wan will feel it, Obi-Wan will feel_ _it_, Anakin mentally chanted to himself, but this did nothing really to smother the rage inside of him. These disgusting monsters had killed his mother, why was he allowing them anywhere near his son?

Anakin cut off his train of thought as he tried to keep the Tuskens in sight. The banthas were surprisingly fast and agile through the sand, and he was almost having trouble keeping up. Approaching the Tusken Raiders had taken a good deal of patience and information gathering, as they rarely ever met with humans. Even when he had found a suitable bargain though, Anakin hadn't honestly believed they would keep their end of the deal. Luckily, it seemed that the Raiders were not at all resistant to the Force, and the order he had put into the chieftain's head seem to have stuck.

He felt a stab of guilt in his gut at the attack he was provoking, but he could think of no other way to get Luke out of there. It would be way too suspicious for the boy, coincidentally the son of the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, to just disappear. Obi-Wan would tear the planet apart looking for him, and Anakin was only so good at concealing his presence from his former Master. He still didn't know if he was going to be able to veil Luke's presence as well, from either Obi-Wan or the Empire. His son was extremely Force-sensitive, but Ani felt that the Empire was highly unlikely to establish a significant presence on Tatooine for a few years at least. By then, he could teach Luke to conceal his presence himself.

Obi-Wan was another concern altogether. He lived pretty far away from the Lars, near the edge of the Dune Sea. Even if Anakin needed to use the Force a tiny bit, Obi-Wan probably wouldn't be able to sense it from where he was. Already Anakin had been using it to cover his tracks, and he hadn't felt any alarm in the man's faint presence. But, though the Jedi Master might not suspect foul play, he was still certain to search for the boy when they failed to find a body. The Sand People would keep him out of the cities for up to a week probably, with Anchor Head as his next target. That gave Anakin just under two weeks to get everything under control and to get Luke settled. Anakin could only pray that it would be enough time.

As he rounded the next dune, Anakin saw that the banthas had stopped, and the young man quickly dropped against the sand. The Sand people dismounted in complete silence, instinctively following their leader across the sands in a single line. Anakin sat up carefully, and could just see the outline of their home in the dim light: they were only a couple hundred metres away. Anakin scrambled up now, and set off running; he'd circle wide around the Raiders close to the back of the farm. He got there just in time to see the security droids start screeching and setting of the alarms. Lights winked on along the perimeter and Anakin could hear the Tusken's howls and screams as they came crashing through the fence and up to the building. Not wasting the opportunity, Anakin vaulted over the fence and pressed himself close against the side of the building, so that he was still in the shadows. He moved quietly around the walls until he finally reached his son's room. Reaching out with the Force, he cursed as he realized that Beru had gone to comfort the baby as soon as she'd woken from the attack. Anakin took a moment to lay fake tracks from the front to the side of the building, before putting a micro-explosive against the wall. He stepped back and activated it, bringing the wall down in a cloud of debris and rubble. Before his sister-in-law could get even a glimpse of him he slipped behind her and knocked her out.

Anakin stepped quietly around the room, trepidation and anxiety finally getting the best of him. What if this didn't work? What if Luke hated him? Or what if Anakin turned back to the darkside? He couldn't trust himself, he'd already come close to the darkside many times since he'd escaped from Empire; how could he risk exposing his son to that corrupting darkness. He felt like his heart was being torn apart, and he bit his lip to stifle the roaring urge to scream at the pain. Hopelessness, terror and tribulation washed through his entire being, and he fell to his knees, blood on his mouth, chin and hands. The darkness loomed ahead, and to the former Sith it had never seemed larger or more formidable than it did now. Anakin was so intoxicatingly confused that he couldn't even bring himself to open his eyes.

When he heard a startled cry from the other side of the room though, all that evaporated. Anakin froze for a completely different reason, and slowly, disbelievingly raised his head towards the simple crib. The plaintive yelp echoed through the Force and Anakin dragged himself up and over towards the boy. He couldn't see much in the darkness, but as he reached down to the child, a small, warm fist closed around his fingers. Anakin started in shock, but after a moment carefully traced the outline of those tiny little fingers. He curled his other hand around the baby's back and lifted Luke up into his arms. He was soft and even warmer than Anakin had expected, and he almost felt that if he held him too hard, he was going to crush him. The young man stood there for a moment, dazed and confused with Luke in his arms, his mind still completely blank at what to do next. A large explosion shook him out of his stupor, quite literally, and Anakin had to lean against the wall to keep his balance. It seemed Owen had begun his fight against the Sand people.

With a quick glance down at Luke he ascertained that the boy was no longer bothered by the noises and they leaped out of the ruined room. With sudden foresight, Anakin turned back and covered Beru with a small pile of rubble; not enough to hurt her, but a sufficient amount to hide her from view. Confident that he'd covered all his bases, Anakin barrelled through the courtyard and over the fence, sprinting through the sand like a possessed madman. The sounds of the attack faded from his ears in seconds, but he kept on running until, covered in sweat, breathing hard and fast, he had come back to his ship. He climbed quickly up into the cockpit, careful not to bump Luke against the side of the craft and settled into the pilot's seat. Only then did Anakin allow himself to catch his breath and he went limp in the chair for a few seconds, chest heaving.

The little bundle in his arms though, decided to start squirming now and Anakin jumped to attention.

He shifted the boy into his left arm, taking the controls in the right and carefully lifted off. He wanted to get back to the city as fast as possible, but his eyes kept flickering back and forth from Luke to the horizon, and he paced himself. Even then, they were pushing eight hundred kilometres an hour. His son seemed to enjoy the ride, as he kept giggling and reaching for the controls. A few times he swore he even heard the boy talk, saying things like "Fun, fun!" or "Fassh!" (which he assumed meant 'fast'). The sight warmed Anakin's heart immeasurably.

He set the skyhopper down almost silently and changed the flight and hanger logs; he didn't need anyone knowing that he'd gone out the night that Luke had gone missing. It wasn't a long walk back to his house, but Mos Eisley was never a safe place, particularly at night. He opened his mind to the Force, and kept his blaster visible and in easy reach of his unoccupied hand. Anakin felt a couple punks hovering in the shadowy alleys but a hard glare and a dangerous aura in the Force changed their minds pretty fast. Anakin had recently discovered that even those who weren't Force-sensitive seemed to feel when someone was broadcasting a precarious feeling through the Force. It was a fairly short-range tool, so he didn't have to worry about being noticed. Unless of course, there was a trained Force-sensitive, in which case Anakin would have to hold back even more.

The lights were all off when Anakin opened the door to the house and he moved carefully through the dark to his bedroom. It was only a few hours 'til morning and he didn't want to wake anyone up unnecessarily. He was about to open the door when he noticed a small note on the outside – he could guess who it was from:

_Master Anion, _

_There's a capsule in your room for your son; I figured you'd want to sleep in the same room. There are also some baby clothes in your closet, though I had to estimate the size. If he's hungry give him Bantha milk for now; we'll see what else he can eat it the morning. If there's any trouble WAKE ME UP. Otherwise I'll see you in the morning – or whenever your son decides it is time for you to get up. Good luck._

_ Timka_

Anakin had to smile at the woman's direct tone; she seemed to be adjusting to her new life just fine. He just needed to get her to stop calling him master. As Anakin gave Luke a soft glance he really didn't think he'd have a problem with him: so far the child had been an angel. Entering the room he turned on the lights and saw the capsule-like cradle only a couple feet from the bed. Anakin sat down carefully on the bed, unwrapped the blankets from the top of the boy's head and took his first good look at his son. He was everything that he'd expected.

Bright blue eyes looked up sleepily at the young man who bore the same ones. Despite the baby's weariness his eyes sparkled in the light; they were vibrant and alive. White blond hair lay messily atop Luke's head, and Anakin ruffled in lightly. That made Luke smile and he started waving his arms around, giggling again. Anakin smiled at that and cradled the boy tightly against his body, their faces only inches apart.

He was so beautiful, so innocent, so _pure_. It really was breathtaking. When Anakin looked at Luke everything melted away – his problems, his fears, the rest of the _universe – _they were all gone. The former Jedi almost laughed at the thought. He never thought that he could ever be so emotional again. But it was completely, incredibly true.

Anakin traced his son's soft face and Luke caught his finger again. His grip was strong and Anakin laughed, gently holding the tiny fist. He couldn't really tell who Luke looked like though – he had his eyes and hair to be sure - other than that he was at a loss. He could remember people saying how a baby looked just like its mother or father but Anakin couldn't see it. He just sort of fancied Luke looking like him…

A sob chocked its way out of Anakin as he held his son. Caught completely by surprise, he couldn't contain himself as the tears streamed down his face and his body shook in grief. It all came crashing down in that one moment and he could see everything.

He saw the people that he'd betrayed, those who had trusted him and put their faith in him, only to have it irrevocably shattered; he felt their pain of betrayal as if it was his own. He saw the Jedi, his brothers- and sisters-in-arms, who had fought beside him and respected him; entrusted him with their lives on the battlefield. He'd slaughtered them. Even the younglings, only a few years older than Luke, who had had no part in the war, no malicious thoughts, no blood on their hands; he'd taken their lives too. The faces of all the people he'd known, been friends with, fought alongside of throughout his entire life, flashed before his eyes, and he closed them in pain. How they would loathe him now.

The sobs became more intense as Anakin continued to remember. He saw his mother, as she was dying in his arms in the Tusken camp. She had been so proud of him and yet he hadn't cared. He'd turned to the darkside and brutally slaughtered the Sand People. Truly, he'd stopped being a Jedi then; he had given into his anger and lost his way. Anakin could only be glad that his mother had never seen him fall. He saw Qui-Gon Jinn, the dead Jedi who had first shown him compassion and confidence in his abilities. He'd have been just another slave for his entire life if not for the Jedi – and just look at how he repaid that trust. He'd destroyed the Jedi and the Republic. He saw Mace Windu, the same look on his face as he had when Anakin had cut off his hand on Coruscant, preventing him from killing Sidious and condemning the galaxy to his tyrannical rule. A great warrior and man who all but died under his own blood-stained hands. Then there was Yoda: the wise master who had always guided him. He had tolerantly warned him of his recklessness and fears and where they would lead. Anakin had never listened. In the end, Yoda too had believed that Anakin would make the right choice. Now all the young man could do was hope that the green Jedi had survived.

And of course, there was Obi-Wan. His friend, mentor, brother, and the closest thing he'd ever had to a father. Anakin had loved him dearly, and he knew that Obi-Wan had loved too; even if he rarely showed it openly. He was one of the wisest, strongest, kindest people Anakin had ever known but he'd thrown it back in his face. He'd turned his back on the Jedi's teachings and on Obi-Wan. He'd scorned the bonds between him, tried to murder him and tore up his heart. The pain on his Master's face when he'd last seen him continued to haunt his nightmares. But Obi-Wan had lived and Anakin was more grateful for that than for his own survival.

Padmé hadn't. His one true love and wife, the woman he had sacrificed everything for. She was easily the most beautiful woman in the galaxy and so strong, so compassionate and caring. She never gave up, even when her life and the lives of her loved ones were threatened. She stood for democracy and freedom and righteousness. Anakin had destroyed all of that. He had attacked her, choked her, and infected her with his darkness. Not only that, but he had gone on to annihilate everything she had cared about and believed in. He had sacrificed his own soul to try and save her body, not realizing that in doing so he'd crush hers as well. It was her that Anakin wept for most of all. For his love, and the devastating actions he'd taken to murder her, madly believing that it would rescue her instead.

Anakin would have wallowed in this crushing sorrow for hours if he had not felt a gentle, yet insistent tugging at his mind. Suddenly bewildered, Anakin opened his eyes and saw Luke's unhappy face searching his own, trying to comfort him however he could. Amazed, Anakin wiped away his tears and pulled the squirming child against his chest, cooing soft reassurances in his ears. Luke seemed utterly unconvinced and the presence in the former Jedi's mind did not fade at all. Anakin realized what he had to do, and pushed back tenderly, wrapping his son's probe with warmth and comfort. Luke looked momentarily confused, but the presence fell away completely and his father felt the boy's body relax.

They'd be okay, Anakin realized. No matter what tried to get in their way, they'd find a way to beat it. Anakin could feel the force flowing through him and Luke, wrapping them gently in its calming presence. It told him that they'd be safe, that Luke would be fine and would grow up well – and that he had made the right decision. Anakin hadn't felt the force so strongly since before his fall, but he decided he would believe what it was telling him. For now, he would trust his instincts.

With a small, sad smile, Anakin stood up and placed Luke in the cradle, wrapping him with warm blankets. He stood beside the bed, the boy's hand still curled around his finger, stroking his hair softly until the baby fell asleep. Anakin stripped off his tunic and got into his own bed, but the tears returned as soon as his head hit the pillow. This time, Anakin didn't try to fight them. He slept fitfully, with the salty drops trailing down his cheeks, repeating one sentence over and over in his mind until it was so permanently engrained that he could never forget.

_This time, I will not fail._

* * *

_AN: So I said a week or two until this update, and for once I actually kept to schedule! Aren't you guys proud of me? ;)_

There's a couple things I just want to note about this story and its characters. Anakin, as much as he tries to play the hero and tries to be strong, is only human. And for the next few years of his life, he's going to be extremely fragile about... well pretty much everything. That's what shock, guilt, depression and all those other horrible feelings do to you, especially when you're dealing with them more or less on your own. That leads me to me next point : Obi-Wan will not being playing a huge role in this story

at the beginning_. You will definitely see him (maybe sooner than you think mwahahaha), but Anakin isn't damn ready to face him right now, let alone let him be a part of his and his son's life. Don't worry too much though - I love Obi-Wan to death and he'll certainly be an important character later on. Just not so much so for the next few chapters._

_Thank you for all your review and alerts and favourites - everytime I get one I write something, even if its just a paragraph or two! So you guys are definitely keeping me motivated!__Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next one will be a bit longer, cause looking back on it, there's _already_ somethings I want to rewrite. Jeez, I'm such a fickle writer :P Until then, Happy Summer-ing!_  



	7. Act I: Part VI

**Act I: Part VI**_**  
**_

Anakin woke a few hours later to the piercing sound of screaming from his bedside. The ex-Jedi sprang out of bed, completely alert and ready for trouble. Once he realized who had been making the noise he visibly relaxed and moved slowly over to Luke's cradle. His son though, didn't appreciate his father's sluggishness and cried even louder. Anakin picked the boy up and rocked him gently in his arms, but Luke's struggled against his hold, continuing his howls. Anakin frantically tried to think what the boy could want, but his mind seemed to be frozen shut. Eventually, it occurred to him that Luke would probably be hungry, but that posed another problem: what could Luke possibly eat? His mind whirled madly through possibilities until Timka entering the room, carrying a bottle of blue Bantha milk.

"I was wondering when he was going to wake up," she remarked as she took the baby carefully from his arms, "You're lucky to have a son who actually sleeps through the night – mine was insistent on waking me up every hour."

Anakin smiled gratefully as she expertly fed Luke, the baby happily grabbing the bottle and sucking at the sweet liquid. Once she seemed satisfied that the boy could feed himself she deposited him back into his father's lap and took a seat in the chair in the corner of the room. Anakin balanced Luke carefully between his legs, his arm lightly on either side, and looked up into the slave woman's searching gaze.

"How old is he?" she asked; Anakin could tell that she was picking her question carefully as if to not offend him.

"Just over nine months." The former Jedi replied.

Timka nodded as if she had expected something like that, and bluntly asked her next question.

"You've never seen him before, have you?

Anakin shook his head mutely; he didn't want to go into his past with a woman he had met the only yesterday, but he guessed he had to give her some sort of explanation.

"You said it yourself didn't you? That my past burdens me. Well you were right. I can't even bare to think about what happened most of the time. I've done so many terrible things – horrible, unforgivable things. I don't seek anyone's forgiveness; I most certainly don't deserve it. But, I want to be able to move on.

My wife died in childbirth, but I wasn't even at her side when she passed. No one informed me about the children and with how I behaved... I really was unfit to be a father. But when I found out about them, I just couldn't stay away. Compared to them, nothing was worth it. My children were more important to me than anything had ever been in my life. They were more important than my life, more important than my _freedom_. I gave up everything for them and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. While my desertion caused something of a ruckus with the Empire, I've never been surer of my choice than I am now."

Timka looked at him in sad understanding, her brows furrowed in thinking.

"You said children?" she asked quietly, and Anakin cursed at himself madly for that slip up.

"Uh, yeah. My wife gave birth to twins. Our daughter is being raised by her good friend. It's what Pad… what my wife would've wanted. She'll be treated well there and will have everything she needs and more."

"Then why'd you take away your son?"

Anakin was starting to get irritated and he glared at the woman; realizing she'd overstepped boundaries, she put up her hands in peace.

"Alright, I'm sorry... So, what's his name?"

Anakin started. Crap, he hadn't come up with a fake name for Luke. He glanced away, trying to buy himself some more time, but honestly he didn't really want to change his name; it was… perfect. However, it'd be suspicious if someone came looking for a baby his age, who just coincidentally happened to have the same name.

"Luke - short for Lucian." He spoke quietly, and the name hung in the space between them. Timka seemed to sense something there, something important, but she couldn't quite place her finger on what it was. There was clearly more to the tale than Anakin was saying, but she wouldn't – couldn't – push him. Besides, she had more than enough to be grateful to him for.

"I know... I know it was a hard decision to make. But," she waved off Anakin's interruption, "I do understand why you did it. And I'll do everything I can to help – it's really the least I can do."

A wave of gratitude washed through Anakin, and all he could do was not his thanks. If she had tried to take Luke from him now... he really didn't know what horrors he would have committed. Timka got off of the chair, brushing off her legs and went to the door.

"Come down to the kitchen when you're ready and we'll fit him for baby clothes. I got a variety of sizes since I didn't know what would fit. I'll also see if I can find something else for Luke to eat."

Anakin didn't move for a few minutes after she left, content to just watch his son wriggling around in his lap. He put him on the bed gently but as he moved to get up, a small hand grabbed the back of his arm. He turned around to see Luke looking up at him with a confused, lost-looking expression.

"Un….Own…" he stuttered out; Anakin looked at him curiously.

"What is it Luke?" he asked softly, crouching down so that his son's face was right in front of his own.

The boy tried again a couple times to get the words out, until Anakin finally understood him.

"Want… un… kel… own."

Anakin's heart cried out at his son's request; he wanted his Uncle Owen. Shit, three words – and they really could barely be considered words even – from his son were more painful than when Dooku had sliced off his arm. Anakin sat there dumbfounded, his heart stuck in his throat before he could force his body to move. He gathered the boy slowly in his arms, cradling him gently as he tried to figure out what he could possibly say.

"Uncle Owen… had to go away. You'll be staying with me, Luke."

Anakin cringed as soon as he said it. What the kriff was that? His uncle had to 'go away'? Luke also seemed confused, but he wasn't crying at least. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and continued.

"Uncle Owen was only taking care of you until I could come get you. Luke, I am your father."

Those wondrous, adorable blue eyes looked up at him widely. "Fathaa?" Luke asked, and if Anakin had been a less proud man, he would've cried right there.

"Yep, that right. I'm your Dad little man."

At this the boy brightened considerably, grinning as if he'd suddenly realized something important.

"Da!" he repeated happily, with a big smile, and Anakin couldn't help smiling back. Luke giggled and reached out to his father, who picked him up with a huge sigh of relief. Crisis averted, at least for now.

It took Anakin a few minutes to wrestle the hyper boy into one of his new light blue jumpsuits, and with one hand threw on a brown tunic that Timka had bought him. He carried Luke down the stairs, before finally letting the squirming boy go in the hallway. The boy fell down almost immediately, but after a couple tries, he successfully followed his father into the kitchen. Timka looked surprised when she saw Luke walking in behind his father, but she made no comment about and shoved a box and contained of fruity mash into Anakin's hand.

"What –" the young man began, but Timka interrupted him.

"Start with the sand biscuits. They're soft and a little chewy, but he seems as if he'll be able to manage some solid food. If he's chewing and swallowing them alright, give him the deb-deb paste as well and see what he likes better. Hopefully he's not a picky eater, though I've found kids on backwater planets like Tatooine tend eat whatever is put in front of them."

Anakin smirked – he'd been like that at least, especially after he'd left – and followed her instructions silently. As soon as he put the food on the table the Luke grabbed the biscuits and busily started chewing. Anakin stifled a laugh and reclaimed the uneaten snacks from his son's hand, forcing him to slow down a bit. The boy seemed to enjoy the snacks though, and he'd devoured three before Anakin finally took the box away. The berry paste he went through slower, though he didn't throw any of it in father's face, as Anakin had kind of expected.

"Do you know how to change his diaper?"

"What?" Anakin looked up at Timka in surprise; she just rolled her eyes playfully.

"Once he's done I'll show you. There's nothing worse than an uncomfortable baby in a dirty diaper." She said with a small, sneaky smile. Anakin had a feeling he wasn't going to like this.

* * *

The rest of the morning passed fairly quickly with Timka giving him a brief but rigorous course in child rearing. He was drained, but confident that he could take care of Luke on his own if he had to. She made a small meal of soup and bread around midday and the other kids joined them. Dril had been absolutely filthy when he came in, with Timka quickly sending him away to clean himself up. Apparently, he been 'hanging around' some junk heaps and decided to look around for working vaporator parts. Anakin had to laugh at the kid's initiative, but he knew he'd have to enrol him in school soon. Not only did the boy need an education, but he was bound to get in trouble wandering around Mos Eisley on his own. First though, he had to get rid of those transmitters.

Timka had protested that the procedure was unnecessary until she paid off their debt, but Anakin didn't pay her any mind. It only took a few minutes to disable them himself, but he'd have to get the chips physically removed some other time. He was good with machines, less so with people's bodies. In a few months he'd send them to a Med Centre and have the official papers put through to free them. Their status as slaves had a purpose for now though.

"What do you want me to do this afternoon?" Timka asked, after she'd sent the kids off to one of the local grocers to keep them out of trouble. Anakin highly doubted that would go as she'd planned.

"We need more starship parts; whatever you can get. Speeder components and weapons would be useful as well. Anything else's low priority – the shop is well-stocked with the basics. Take a minute to familiarize yourself with the inventories when you have a chance. If you have any problems with the deals, let them know you're working for me."

Timka knew exactly what he was talking about and left the house grinning. Anakin realized how fortunate he'd been to find someone like her on his first try. Maybe the Force really was still with him.

Anakin picked up Luke, who was playing with his toy Bantha under the table, and brought him out to the Junkyard. He wanted to repair the R4 droids he gotten yesterday and he didn't dare leave Luke alone in the house. He had two working R4 series already, but they were immensely popular on Tatooine, so it'd be easy to find buyers.

Anakin became completely immersed with the repair as he tore open the casing of the first droid. The internal circuitry was shot, but Anakin had never found a droid he couldn't fix. It took him about an hour to fix the wiring problems, and he moved on to look at the rest of the damage. It only had about three-quarters of its basic utility equipment and a number of the sensors weren't working properly. Anakin went over to the spare parts bin and dragged out the pieces he needed for the droid. When he turned around though he was met with an unexpected sight:

Luke had apparently decided that his toys were no longer interesting, and had come over to investigate what his father was doing. He was now fiddling with the electromagnetic field sensor.

Anakin was torn between pride and worry: obviously Luke had inherited his fondness for machines, but he was nine months old! He could get hurt. Anakin dropped the parts onto the ground beside the droid and quickly snatched up the boy. Of course, Luke immediately started wailing.

Anakin rocked the boy, gently murmuring to him, but nothing seemed to calm him down even remotely. The young man tried to remember everything that Timka had told him, but all he could come up with was to let Luke cry himself out. There was no way he was going to be able to do that.

"Wanna see!" Luke was screaming, "Wanna see droiwd!"

Anakin sighed, only one thing to do…

"Alright Luke, aright! Just shhhhhhsh. I'll let you see the droid."

"See droiwd?" Luke repeated, stopping his flailing.

"Yeah," Anakin answered, "But stay on my lap okay?"

"Okay!" he exclaimed in delight.

Anakin then spend the rest of the day with Luke as he made repairs. He walked his son through the process, naming every part, its function, and what he was doing to fix it. Anakin really had no idea how much he understood, but Luke seemed happy and focused for the entire time. Ani enjoyed it too, completely oblivious to the passing time sky until finally they were interrupted.

"Well, you two seemed to be enjoying yourselves."

Anakin swivelled around to seem Timka standing in the doorway, smiling. She was laden with a number of big, tan bags, which she proceeded to dump on the dirt floor.

"What'd you find?" he questioned, ignoring her previous jibe.

"An avatar-10, a couple SSP5s, and a H2-1 for hyperdrives. Found a possible T-16 generator as well, but it was a complete rip-off. I figure we wait a couple months 'til he realizes that nobody's going to buy it from him and snag it for a couple thousand credits. Oh and I also found a Headhunter; kind of trashed, but I got it for under eight thousand."

"What?" Anakin asked startled; Headhunter's were good, resilient machines, though a bit outdated. Even used ones went for around forty-five, fifty thousand.

"Yep, it even has a GBk-435 motivator installed. Though that's not in good shape either."

Anakin winced as he realized what she was really telling him.

"Just how bad is it?"

Timka looked away sheepishly and just pointed at the gate.

"Aha, just go see for yourself; it's outside."

Anakin stood up with a sigh and step outside the gate. Apparently, she'd found his landspeeder, as it was waiting for him piled high with dozens of metal pieces. The passenger seats were covered completely in scraps, and he found the engines, hyperdrive, nav system, and weapons in the back storage compartment. In short, the starfighter it had been completely blown to bits.

Muttering under his breath, Anakin guided the speeder back into the courtyard, where Timka was, unsuccessfully, trying to extract Luke from the droid.

"Just leave him be," he called out to her, as he began unloading the parts. Timka looked unconvinced, so he waved her over to help him unload.

"You know, he could really hurt himself playing with the droids. They're not exactly child friendly."

"But he won't." Anakin replied curtly.

Timka frowned, but let the subject drop as she came over to assist him. The ex-Jedi wasn't about to explain it to her, but he'd been exactly like Luke as a kid. He'd spent his first years sorting through junk and broken machines, figuring out his own ways to fix them. Yes, he'd gotten some minor injuries from playing with metal so often, but he'd probably gotten more scratches and cuts when he wasn't working. And with his mother's duties, he hadn't had anyone look out for him. Anakin, on the other hand, was watching over Luke with great deal of vigilance.

The sky was getting dark by the time they'd finished unloading everything and Timka bustled off to fetch Dril and Sienn'lae. With a quick glance at Luke, Anakin scaled up the rocky back wall and hoisted himself up onto the roof of the building. He leaned against rock and stretched his legs out, watching as the suns rolled towards the horizon. He remembered doing the same thing when he was little, just an insignificant slave-boy of Gardulla the Hutt.

It had been harder to climb up the cliff back then but even as a baby, Anakin had loved the Tatooinian sunset. He'd go out every night he could to watch the dazzling phenomenon. The burning yellow and orange stars always travelled together; twin dragons, watching over each other and the people of the desolate desert planet. Anakin had been mesmerized.

He hated them now. He could feel the anger and scorn rising in him as he watched the light seep out of the sky. It puzzled him, and for some strange reason, made him feel a searing sense of shame. When had he become so bitter?

Soft whines from the junk lot attracted Anakin's attention, and he looked down to see Luke wandering around on wobbly legs, looking for his wayward father. The young man jumped down immediately and gathered his crying son in his arms. The boy fell quiet as soon as he picked him up and buried into Anakin's warmth. He's tired, Anakin realized as he walked back into the house.

"Ani!"

A small white bundle launched itself onto the ex-Jedi's legs and Anakin had to grab the wall to keep from toppling over.

"Hey 'Lae," he forced out, trying hard not to choke at the young girl's enthusiasm. "You have fun today?"

"You bet! Bejza told us all sorts of stories and we got to play with her dwarf bantha!" Sienn'lae exclaimed, "It was so cute and it licked my hand – can we get one? Please, please, pleeeaseeeee?"

At a loss, Anakin looked to Timka, pleading silently for help. She was holding one hand firmly against her mouth to keep from laughing, but expertly deflected the Twi'lek's enthusiasm.

"That's enough, that's enough Sienn'lae. You're too young to have a pet right now, and Master Anakin's much too busy to take care of it for you."

"But I'd–" 'Lae stammered

"No you wouldn't." Timka interrupted firmly, "Now come on, clean up for supper."

Sienn'lae looked utterly crestfallen as she was herded out of the room by Timka, but Ani wasn't too concerned. He might be unused to caring for children, but he knew how they acted at the very least.

"Dwaaf Bantaa?" a small voice piped up. Anakin looked down at the boy pulling on his sleeve as he tried to figure out how to answer the question.

"Uh well dwarf bantha's are little banthas…"

Luke just kept on staring at him and Anakin looked around for the toy he'd given him earlier.

"Aha!" he exclaimed as he picked up the toy from under the table and waved it in front of his son's face.

"This is a bantha. A tiny, little toy bantha."

"Bantaa!" Luke agreed happily.

"But you know not all bantha's are small. In fact, most bantha's are really big. Huuge in fact. Almost the size of this house!"

"Big?" Luke asked excitedly.

"Yep! Be careful though, because if you see a big bantha, there are probably Sand People nearby and they might attack you!"

"Sann Peepo bad!"

"Yes they're very bad." Anakin confirmed with a smile, "If you ever see Sand People out in the desert, or even a big bantha, you must find your daddy or hide somewhere they can't find you, okay?"

Luke nodded emphatically, and Anakin again wondered just how much he could possibly understand at nine months of age.

"Anyways, although there are the Sand People's big banthas, there are also smaller banthas: dwarf banthas. Some people keep dwarf bantha's as pets – like Sienn'lae's friend."

"Dwaaf smawo?"

"Yeah, dwarf banthas are small."

Luke seemed satisfied with that and grabbed the bantha from his father's hand. Anakin watched him for a moment and made up his mind to personally make Luke some new toys. Ones that would be more stimulating for the boy, and keep him occupied during the day. It wasn't that he didn't like teaching Luke, he loved it in fact. But he did have work to do, especially with repairing that new Headhunter. Having a few hours where he could just let himself go, where he could just fix things without having to worry about Luke, could do wonders for relieving his burdened conscience.

Dinner was largely uneventful, though toward the end he could tell that Luke was getting tired and cranky. He excused himself from the table and took the sleepy toddler up to his room. He put Luke into his warm pyjamas and settled him the capsule. Anakin sat nearby as he waited for his son to fall asleep, but despite his fatigue, Luke seemed to have no intention of doing so. Ani waited for nearly half an hour in silence, his hand stroking the boy's hair and cheek before he finally took him in his arms.

"Hey Luke do you want to hear a story?" the former Jedi asked quietly. Luke just stared calmly up at him: Anakin took that as a yes.

"Alright, well for the last few years your father and his Master Obi-Wan Kenobi served together in the Clone Wars, fighting for the freedom of the Republic…"

Anakin begin to retell his experiences and battles from the last three years to his son. He started right at the beginning, with the battle of Geonosis. He told Luke of the message from Obi-Wan he received on Tatooine, while protecting the "brave, beautiful" senator. It was hard, a million times harder than Anakin had expected, to talk about his past with Padmé and Obi-wan, or really any his comrades. But Luke was staring up at him in fascination and Anakin pushed onwards.

"So although it was my mission to protect the Senator, she decided that there was no way they could just leave Obi-Wan alone. So naturally, I had to follow her to Geonosis along with R2 and C3P0. We landed on the planet within a few hours, and snuck into one of the underground droid foundries. The Senator and I were separated; she got stranded in a lava capsule and was almost burned! R2 disabled the device just in time, but she was surrounded as soon as she got out. Meanwhile, I had been fighting Geos and got knocked down under a machine which wrecked my lightsaber. I just knew that Obi-Wan was going to kill me! We were arrested and taken to a gladiatorial area where we were _supposed _to die. But Obi-Wan and I were Jedi; we weren't going down so easily! And the Senator was quite on top of things herself. They chained us to columns in the arena and released three ferocious beasts to attack us.

Obi-Wan faced an acklay, a huge, green creature with six claws. It was even bigger than a bantha! Obi-Wan dodged its attacks and it accidentally broke his chain, letting him run around it easily. The senator was attacked by a nexu, a deadly feline with huge sharp claws and spikes along its back. Sneakily, she put a lock-pick in her teeth before they chained her up, and before the animal could attack she'd freed herself from the cuffs and climbed all the way to the top of the column. The nexu attacked, but she beat it back with a chain, and kicked it right off the pillar. During all that, I was being attacked by a reek, a strong beast with a massive horn on its nose. But it was easy to evade and I jumped right onto its back. When it tried to run away, it broke the chain off for me. I threw me off, but I managed to tame it with the Force and get right back on. I ran it around the arena and the Senator and Obi-Wan jumped on to the beast's back.

We ran to the exit, and had almost escaped, but were once again surrounded by droid destroyers. It looked hopeless, but all of a sudden Jedi appeared all over the arena! The Jedi fought courageously but there was no end to the droids. Just we were about to be finished off, gunships began to descend from the sky! They were led by Master Yoda and carried thousands upon thousands of clones: the army of the Republic had arrived! The ships saved the Jedi and carried them to the battlefield, but when the clones arrived, Dooku had managed to escape.

So Obi-Wan and I pushed followed Dooku to his hangar. I attacked him first, but he hit me with Force lightening, injuring me and knocking me back. Obi-Wan then confronted him, but he only lasted a little longer than me. I forced myself back up to cover my Master and lept over to intercept the Count's lightsaber. But Dooku was one of the best duelists of our time and despite my efforts he cut off my arm. At this point, Master Yoda showed up though, and saved our lives – it was one of the most amazing duels I've ever seen in my life! You'd never expect it from Master Yoda, since he's rather old and only two feet tall! However, even though Master Yoda saved us Dooku was able to get abord his starfighter and escape off the planet. Despite Dooku's escape, the Republic won the battle of Geonosis, thanks to the efforts of the Jedi and the clones. And I got a brand new mechanical arm, though you wouldn't be able to tell."

Once Anakin had finally finished his tale, he looked down at his son; the boy had fallen asleep, probably long ago. He looked so… peaceful. With a great sigh, Anakin stood and threw his tunic on top of the dresser. He climbed into the unmade bed, his hands clenched into fists as he forced the turmoil and sorrow out of his soul. He refused to give in to those emotions though, not tonight, even if he could not stop his body from shaking, or the sobs from tearing through his closed throat. So, with a brutal shove of the Force, Anakin forced himself to fall asleep.

* * *

"_I don't know you anymore. Anakin, you're breaking my heart! You're going down a path I can't follow."_

"_Because of Obi-Wan?"_

"_Because of what you've done! What you plan to do. Stop! Stop now, come back! I love you!"_

"_Liar!"_

"_No!"_

"_You're with him! You've brought him here to kill me!"_

"_No!"_

_Darth Vader could feel the Force flowing through him, fuelled by his rage, choking the very life out of Padmé. Vaguely he could hear Obi-Wan shouting at him, trying to make him release her… How could he? She betrayed him! He'd given her everything and she'd betrayed him! Well he could fix that…_

_The Sith turned to Obi-Wan, eyes blazing yellow as Padmé dropped unconscious to the ground. He would kill the Jedi right here, right now. Then no one would stand in their way ever again!_

Anakin bolted up in bed, sweat pouring off him, his breathing laboured and frantic. He pushed off the covers, tumbled off the mattress and bolted to the refresher. There he promptly threw up his lunch and dinner, gagging as the nightmare replayed itself through his mind. When he'd finished, long minutes later, his trembling limbs collapsed on the refresher floor and Anakin curled into himself. He'd thought… he'd hoped the nightmares would stop once he had found Luke. Seems it had been nothing but false optimism. Now, he doubted that the visions would ever let up. If that was to be his punishment though, they were nothing compared to what he deserved.

Gripping the edge of the sink, Anakin hoisted himself up and stumbled out of the room. Somehow he made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen before collapsing at the kitchen table. He spit on the floor as he quelled the quivering of his limbs: how the hell had he become so weak. One lousy bad dream and he was acting like a pathetic coward.

How was he supposed to be a good father if he was a so goddamn weak? How was he supposed to defeat the Empire and Palpatine if he couldn't overcome his goddamn past! Well no fucking more!

He'd become strong again. He'd continue his training and become the Jedi he was supposed to be. Chosen one or not – he'd become the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy. And he'd defeat that lying bastard of a Sith Lord and return peace and freedom to the people. He'd tear down the Empire and restore the Republic – a constitutional, just Republic free from the bureaucratic corruption and greed that had so plagued the Old one. A Republic of the people, for the people. The Republic that Padmé had dreamed about, and fought so ferociously to create; a Republic fit for his son.

It would take time. Lots of it. Anakin knew that; he also knew that his patience was severely limited at best. But nonetheless he would set the foundations carefully – discreetly supporting the rebellion out on Tatooine, far removed from any significant Imperial presence. He'd raise his son in secret; not in the luxury Luke deserved, but in a world where he could love and laugh freely. Luke wouldn't be forced to conform to anything, whether to the Imperial doctrine or to the Jedi Code. Anakin would do everything to protect his son and give him what he could. And when Luke grew up, he would make his own decisions, whatever they might be, and Anakin would do whatever he could to support him.

It wouldn't be a great life, or even a safe one. All Anakin could hope is that it'd be enough.

His resolve finally set, Anakin pushed himself up from the table, ignoring the screaming of his muscles. The ex-Jedi had become complacent, running from planet to planet, thinking of nothing but getting his son in his arms. Well, he had Luke now.

It was time for him to train again.

Body, mind and soul.

* * *

AN: Update? Yay?

So ends the first arc of this story. I don't know how many arcs there will be - probably at least four or five. It really depends on how many of these little plot ideas buzzing in around in my head I decide to flush out and actually write.

This chapter is unbeta'd, so I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes. My wonderful Beta has other things going in her life and just hasn't had the time to look over anything. Next chapter will be out soon - the first draft is done, so it's just tweaking from here. Reviews make me happy, so thank you to everyone who took the time to review. You guys are the best. For everyone else, reviews really make me feel bad about not updating... just saying. ^_^


	8. Interlude I

**Interlude I**

If there was any place in the universe that Obi-Wan would rather _not _be at the moment, Tatooine probably topped even Coruscant.

Luke had disappeared: inexplicably, mysteriously and without a trace. Obi-Wan hadn't even sensed the Tusken attack through the Force, or rather, Luke's response to it. The boy was young and rather mild-tempered, but when he was angry or upset, he let the whole planet know. If there were any other Force-sensitives on Tatooine, they'd surely been getting some unusual, piercing headaches lately. Even as cut off from the Force as he was, Obi-Wan could feel the young boy's distress. It had troubled him a bit; if he could perceive it so strongly, then surely Vader and Palpatine would be able hear it too. Well not that Vader would be able to sense anything for a while though.

Obi-Wan hadn't believed it at first – that the Great Lord Vader had been killed (no, _not _Anakin, Anakin had died nearly a year ago). He had felt his presence disappear in the Force, the shreds of the bond between them finally vanishing and yet he still couldn't accept it. The Empire wasn't even a year old; there was no way that Palpatine would've allowed his most powerful servant to just _die_. In the aftermath though – it didn't seem like anything else justified how extraordinarily _pissed_ Palpatine was.

He'd never quite felt an explosion in the Force like the one Palpatine released the day after Vader had died. Even thousands of light-years away, Obi-Wan had felt like his very soul and being were being shredded to pieces as the dark anger ripped through the Force. He had watched the Holocast a few days later, and even then, the Emperor's billowing aura had been obvious to the Jedi's trained senses.

The announcement had still been a shock, even more so because he had felt the sincere rage that Palpatine felt over his minion's murder. Apparently, Vader had engaged an army of scheming Jedi on Kessel and tried to arrest them and bring them to justice. Of course though, the nefarious traitors had attacked him and Vader valiantly defeated them. However, during the course of the battle, he suffered severe wounds and was about to return to Coruscant for emergency medical treatment. Yet one Jedi coward snuck about the ship and killed him in his healing trance. The evil Jedi Master Shadday Potkin had originally escaped the Exactor,but the Empire caught up with her the next day and dealt with the conspirator.

It was completely ridiculous of course. It didn't matter how powerful Vader was, or how he had once been. Even without his disabilities he couldn't have taken on half a dozen Knights without being completely overwhelmed. And had he truly killed an "army" of Jedi, so many deaths would have been broadcast strongly through the Force; Obi-Wan had barely felt a ripple. Not only that, but Vader wouldn't have run away from the Jedi because of his injuries. His rage alone would not have allowed it. He would've kept fighting until _all_ his opponents were dead. Even supposing that Potkin had been able to completely conceal her presence (which again, was highly unlikely), Vader never let his guard down, even when healing. That left him vulnerable to his enemies and his own master. Vader might be a Sith, but he was by no means stupid or naïve. Not anymore at least.

Vader _had _died though. Obi-Wan had felt it through the Force, more clearly than he had felt the deaths of the hundreds of Jedi killed in the purges. Though the force echoed faintly with the pain of his victims, there was no way Vader had killed more than a handful of his brethren. He mourned his fallen comrades deeply, but Obi-Wan thanked the stars that it hadn't been an 'army' of Knights. Such a loss would have been... beyond devastating.

An alarm rang out from his speeder and Obi-Wan was jerked from his musings. Just his luck: he was low on fuel. Under his breath he cursed this godforsaken desert world, and looked at his positioning system. Baring any unexpected complications, the Jedi would just make it to Mos Eisley before his tank hit empty.

Turning back to his musing Obi-Wan reflected on the slim-to-none chance that Luke would be still in Mos Eisley, if he had ever been there at all.

Luke Skywalker: the nine-month old son of Anakin Skywalker, his late Padawan, and the sole reason that Obi-Wan was confined to this hellish dust bowl. At least that was what he told himself. The boy would be the key to the demise of Palpatine and his empire, yes, but Obi-Wan truly cared for the child. He was all that he had left of the brother he had loved so much, and he was such an innocent, carefree boy (and adorable and perfect and sometimes it broke Obi-Wan's _heart_). Obi-Wan would do whatever he could to keep him that way, for as long as he possibly could.

Luke was the galaxy's hope, and though perhaps not the last, Obi-Wan personally believed that he would be the best. That his sister would be amazingly strong in the Force as well, Obi-Wan had no doubt. But she would be fierce and strong-willed, fighting for justice and freedom, much as her mother always had. Luke though, Obi-wan knew would be just like Anakin one day (he could feel it in his gut, in his heart and in the Force). Hopefully without the bitterness and arrogance that Anakin had developed, but with all his naiveté, brilliance and his golden heart. Maybe such thoughts were just the ruminations of an old, battered man, but Obi-Wan believed in Luke as much as he'd ever believed in anything.

Yet now the boy was gone, taken away stealthily by Tusken Raiders in the middle of the night. Obi-Wan knew the situation was suspicious even without the Force screaming that Tusken's were not behind the kidnapping. It was just too much of a damn coincidence that _Luke_, of all the children on the planet, was the target of such an attack. But if it wasn't the Tuskans, than just who in the galaxy took him?

His first suspect had been Palpatine; but he'd quickly dismissed that one. Though the Sith was surely looking for a replacement for Vader, Obi-Wan doubted that he'd have taken such an indirect approach. The emperour wouldn't have bothered to try and hide his presence – he had no need to. He could've stormed down to the planet with battalions of storm troopers at his back, and nobody would've been able to stop him. Palpatine also never bothered to conceal his aura since the fall of the republic; Obi-Wan could have felt him coming from a mile away.

Not to mentioned he would have also needed to _know_ about Luke's existence, in which case the Emperor would have not allowed the son of Vader out of his reach for this long. The boy would have destroyed or captured months ago.

As it was, it was unlikely that any Imperial had been the one to kidnap Luke. To use a Tusken Raider attack as a cover – only someone with intimate knowledge of Tatooine could have possibly come up with that scenario. With Vader dead, the only plausible options were that the Sand People had truly taken the boy, or that it had been a slave-trader or some other sort of criminal that Tatooine prolifically harboured.

But why then, hadn't Luke cried out and woken him? Surely being taken from his home in the middle of the night by a dangerous stranger would have upset him a great deal. It wouldn't have been the first time that Obi-Wan had been woken in the middle of the night to howling in his mind. It was possible that Luke had naturally gotten better at shielding his cries, but considering he was _only nine months old_ it was pretty unlikely (everything about this situation though was so damn unlikely!). Obi-wan had been entirely oblivious to the whole situation until two days after the attack, when Beru had shown up at his home on her husband's speeder.

Owen of course, hadn't thought to tell Obi-Wan about the boy's abduction. He'd rounded up a group of a few dozen moisture farmers, but _he hadn't thought to tell the Jedi!_ Obi-Wan doubted that it had been intentional – the man truly did love his nephew – but why did he have to be so blind and kriffing narrow-minded! Barely a few months, and the farmer had already pushed Obi-Wan's existence out of his mind. Luke was Obi-Wan's nephew as much as he was Owen's no matter what the other man thought. Beru had finally decided to take matters into her own hands and bless the woman – Obi-Wan couldn't imagine what it would've been like for Luke living with no one but his strict, prejudiced uncle.

As soon as he'd heard the news, Obi-Wan sped off into the desert to search for him. He'd spent over two weeks combing the desert for any hint of the boy's presence; he'd found nothing. The Jedi had tracked down some dozen different clans trying to find anything, but they showed him only honest confusion and base violence. Finally after a long week in the blistering desert wastes, he'd turned his attention to the towns. Anchorhead, and Torsche had been investigated by the boy's uncle, but he thought it best to double check. He'd still turned up nothing.

So here he was on his way to Mos Eisley, the most wretched hive of scum and villainy in the Galaxy. If Luke wasn't there, he'd have to search the rest of the planet: Bestine, Mos Entha, Mos Espa, and even the smaller villages. Obi-Wan had a sinking feeling though, that he couldn't find him in Mos Eisley, he wouldn't find him at all.

* * *

Obi-Wan deftly stepped aside as yet another unconscious customer was thrown out of one of the cantinas. Great skies, it wasn't even nightfall yet! It was Obi-Wan's  
second day in the city, but despite his best attempts he was getting nowhere in his search for Luke. No one had seen or heard anything about a baby boy being taken and Obi-Wan had checked the slave-shops himself. No records or signs that Luke had ever been in any of them. He'd spent the rest of the day checking out the docking bays and cantinas, keep an open ear, and subtly probing for information. There wasn't much point, but he'd keep looking tonight, and head out tomorrow morning for the capital. There was nothing to be found here…

"Hey, lemme go bantha brain!"

Of course, Obi-Wan thought to himself sombrely, he never could avoid stumbling into some sort of trouble. The street was more or less deserted other than him, so he turned down the nearest alley on his left to find the source of the cry.

A young white Twi'lek had been cornered by two human boys almost twice her size. One of them had grabbed her wrist and was attempting to pull her forward, but the girl stood her ground. The other youngster was trying to get around behind her but was weary of the long stick the alien held in her free hand.

"Come on Twillie, we wanna have some fun. A slave like you should just listen to your betters." One of the boys taunted, grabbing at her dress. She cried out again as he tore off part of the skirt and rounded on him in fury.

"Let me go right now! Master Ani is going to kill you for touching me!"

Obi-Wan froze. Master Ani… _Ani_… no, no it couldn't be! Impossible. Anakin was dead, not on Tatooine! He was over reacting, that was all, nothing more. The Jedi forced his breathing to steady and he quickly stepped forward, coughing softly to alert the children to his presence. The boys spun around when they heard the intruder, locking gazes with the weary man.

"Listen to the young lady boys," he began, putting the full weight of the Force behind his words, "Apologize and make your way back home now."

The boys' eyes glazed over and they mumbled a short apology before bolting out of the alley. Obi-Wan frowned and glanced over at the Twi'lek youngster, who was staring up with large, disconcerting eyes. He opened his mouth to ask her if she was alright, but she spoke before he could.

"Thank you for that. Who are you?"

The Jedi blinked once in surprise before even acknowledging her question. She didn't seem afraid or angry at all now. Her emotions had changed in a nanosecond – what an odd girl.

"My name is Ben," Obi-Wan replied smoothly, "Ben Kenobi. What's yours?"

"Sienn'lae," the girl chirped brightly as she came forward and took his hand. He felt a brief jolt where her skin touched his, and the Jedi belatedly realized that she was Force sensitive. Not much, mind you – she couldn't have been a Jedi – but he felt like it somehow accounted for the more quirky aspects of the Twi'lek's personality. She truly was an interesting girl.

"Come on, come on, let's go home! Master Ani will want to thank you for helping me, and he probably won't scold me as bad if you come."

Obi-Wan's seemed to stop working every time that Sienn'lae mentioned her 'Master Ani'. He knew it wasn't Anakin – he and Darth Vader had both died months ago. Maybe though, there was something else, something completely unrelated to his brother. Yes, that had to be it; the Force was urging him to find the man, but he was just over thinking everything.

"Who is this Master Ani?" the Jedi asked gently, trying not to say anything that would upset the girl. Sienn'lae however, didn't seem to particularly care about her situation.

"He's my Master," she stated candidly, "I'm a slave see. But that's okay. Ani's a good Master, I don't even notice being a slave anymore."

Internally, the Jedi sighed in relief that Sienn'lae had a good master. A brutal master could have destroyed the very soul of a girl like her.

"So what does Master Ani do, Sienn'lae?" Obi-Wan inquired, trying to keep the conversation going.

"He's a junk dealer and mechanic; says that it's good to have both options or something."

Mechanic. _A Mechanic?_ Obi-Wan shoved those thoughts out of his head and tried to regain a calm composure. The similarities didn't matter, the Force would guide him, and tell him what he needed to do with this Ani, who he had _never_ _met_ before.

The walk to Sienn'lae's house was barely ten minutes, and along the way she chattered about a variety of rather unrelated topics, such as vaporators and dwarf banthas. Obi-Wan didn't pay much attention choosing rather to attain a semi-meditative state to calm his nerves while he was walking. They arrived at a rather plain looking shop close to the centre of the docking bays and Sienn'lae led the way inside without a moment's hesitation.

"I'm back!" she called out to the large open room. There was the sound of a metal parts being dropped deeper in the building, and one of the doors slid open, revealing a very frazzled, very irate woman.

"Sienn'lae! You little hutt-spawn!" She shouted, "Do you know how worried I was? How many times do I have to tell you not to leave the house alone? You're grounded! For two weeks."

"Alright. But look Mom! This is Ben; he helped me!"

Obi-Wan smiled gently as the woman looked over to him, red faced in embarrassment. The Jedi quickly stepped forward and offered his hand.

"Ben Kenobi."

"Timka Sol," she responded with a warm smile and a firm grip, "I'm terribly sorry about Sienn'lae, she's all sorts of trouble…"

"It was no problem. I'm just glad that I was there."

"Would you like to join us for dinner?" She offered, "It should be ready in just a few minutes."

Obi-Wan hesitated for a moment; he should still be out in the city, looking for Luke, but the Force was telling him to meet this Master Ani that Sienn'lae was talking about. Dinner would provide the perfect opportunity, and maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to find some clue about Luke.

"I'd be delighted to Miss Sol."

"It's just Timka," she replied with a small grin, and she turned back to the young girl.

"Go fetch your brother 'Lae and have him help you set the table. Bring Master Neviin inside as well, so he can meet our guest."

"'Kay," the Twi'lek intoned happily, and she ran inside the house. Timka turned to the Jedi, an apology on her lips, but the man waved her off.

"It really was no trouble Timka. She's quite an interesting girl," he explained.

The woman snorted, her expression one of understanding and comical disbelief.

"Interesting, sure, that's one way of putting it. Well, follow me and we'll get you settled. The Master is quite fond of that girl, so I'm sure he'll want to thank you himself."

Obi-Wan nodded silently, and followed the slave as she led him into the housing part of the complex. It was an interesting building set of buildings, the store being on one side with the junkyard on one side and the house behind it. The only way to get to the residence was through the courtyard, which was guarded by a wall of sand, and a large, two-story gate: a safe place to live (relatively at least – it was still Tatooine) , but most definitely an expensive one. Master Ani had a substantial amount of money, which was rather unusual for most of the residents of the desert planet.

The scents of cooking filled Obi-Wan's senses and he returned his focus back to the present. The answers to his questions would be revealed soon enough.

Timka settled him on a sofa in living room and brought him out a glass of fruit juice_**. **_Obi-Wan was just about to offer her help in the kitchen when an amused voice interrupted him from the doorway.

"I take it that you're the Ben that Sienn'lae's going on about?"

The Jedi turned to look at the figure standing by the staircase, and was somewhat surprised at what he saw. The man was over six feet tall, fit and muscled, though not overly bulky. He had jet black hair and speckled green eyes, set in a cunning, handsome face. Based on his appearance alone, Obi-Wan would say that he was practised in the ways deceit, though his character seemed honest enough. What shocked him the most though, was the small, wriggling bundle of flesh that he held in his arms.

"My name is Ben Kenobi, sir…" he responded, realizing that he hadn't ever answered the Master's question.

"Anion. Anion Neviin. And this here, is my son Lucian."

The man glanced down at the boy with such love and devotion, that Obi-Wan almost looked away in shame. He'd hoped, for merely a moment that the Force had led him to Luke, that his futile search had finally borne fruit. The boy was Anion's son though; there was no doubt about that. The mechanic tore his gaze away from his child though and looked curiously at the Jedi Master.

"Ben Kenobi, huh?" he asked after a moment's consideration, "Wouldn't happen to be any relation to the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi would you…?"

Obi-Wan's heart-beat soared for a moment as he heard the implications in the man's question, but even as he started to deny it, Anion continued.

"Please Master Kenobi, understand that I mean you now harm. I am by no means a supporter of the Empire; she's the very reason I confine myself to this vile planet. For as long as you are under my roof, I will do what I can to conceal your presence."

The Jedi looked at the mechanic thoughtfully for a silent minute, his respect and suspicion for the man both greatly increased. For although his words rang true in the Force, how on Earth did this man recognize him?

"I take it then," Obi-Wan said slowly, "that you are not from around these parts."

Anion shook his head wordlessly and grabbed a seat opposite from his guest.

"I have spent the majority of my life in the Core, doing a wide variety of jobs of questionable natures. In a way you could say that I was a pilot; though perhaps not as law-abiding as most."

"You were a smuggler," Obi-Wan stated blunty, to which Anion grinned in response.

"You could say that," he said simply, but although Obi-Wan detected no lie, he was most definitely hiding something.

"So why'd you trade that all in for this?" the Jedi asked, putting a very subtle suggestion behind his words. He didn't sense treachery in this man, but something strange was certainly going on here.

A flash of pain filled Anion's eyes, his gaze once again dropped to the boy in his lap.

"I'm sorry," Obi-wan said softly into the silence, "I didn't mean to pry."

"No its fine," Anion waved away his apologies, "It's just... not an easy story to tell."

The silence stretched across the room, but Obi-Wan didn't push him: Anion could answer when he was ready.

"After I married my wife, I kept my business legal; she was from quite a wealthy family and they never approved of me in the first place. She was the only heir though, and she worked in local politics, so we always had more than enough money to provide a very comfortable life. But I couldn't stop working altogether – would've gone insane – so I took fewer jobs and spent the rest of the time with her and her family."

The mechanic paused uncomfortably again, and Obi-Wan carefully maintained his mask of neutrality as he listened. For whatever reason, the Force wanted him to hear this, so he would pay close attention to every word.

"For the first couple years, life was pretty good," Anion resumed, in a much softer voice this time, "We were in love and didn't really care much about anything else. There was always tension with her relatives, but her mother kept the peace and I did my best to conform to their expectations. Until she found out that she was pregnant."

"Suffice to say, everything exploded at that point. We ended up getting a divorce before Lucian was even born, and the court ruled in favour of his mother – she had full custody and I wasn't even granted visitation rights. I did some stupid shit after that; got into trouble with the Empire and was always on the run. I found out that my ex-wife had died shortly after his birth, and I just couldn't leave Lucian with those _things_. As a fugitive of the Empire I would have never been granted legal custody, so I came to Tatooine where nobody gives a wombat's ass about crime. It's not a safe place, but I will never, ever let anybody hurt him."

Obi-Wan admired the man's cool composure, even if his voice contorted and cracked as he told his story. Obi-Wan could feel the tension in Anion's words; his pain had probably been building up inside of him ever since his wife's death. He was living for his son now, that much was clear. Neviin had been hiding things from the Jedi, yes, and possibly told a few lies but he hadn't sensed any treachery in his words. But even though Luke was still out of his grasp, maybe he could find an ally in this man.

"You really love your son, don't you?"

The man nodded serenely as the boy giggled and curled his fist around his father's fingers. The silence between them was a comfortable one though, as Obi-Wan waited patiently for Anion to remember his presence.

"Dinner is ready, if you two are ready to eat." Timka interrupted after a couple minutes, and the men mutely followed her into the kitchen. An absolutely delicious smell hit Obi-Wan's senses, and he realised that he hadn't eaten anything since before dawn. His stomach caught up to his train of thought and growled loudly, prompting laughter from the two children at the table: Sienn'lae and another human boy.

As soon as Obi-Wan sat down, Sienn'lae launched into a highly elaborated tale of how Ben had saved her life from the big, mean gang of men, prompting her 'brother' to role his eyes at the ridiculousness of it all. It seemed like Sienn'lae getting into trouble was quite a common occurance.

Timka promptly served out bowls of womprat soup, some sort of meat which Obi-Wan was unfamiliar with, and a bowl of baby food which she set in front of Anion. The two youngsters dug into their food at once, and Anion seemed to ignore everyone else as he fed little Luciano. He and Timka engaged in a light conversation about Tatooine and her home planet of Rishi. She had clearly overheard his conversation with Anion about his identity, and she seemed quite comfortable to express her less than lukewarm view about the Empire. Obi-Wan didn't ask out of courtesy, but he got the impression that the Imperials were somehow responsible for her enslavement. Frankly it didn't surprise him, but he felt a pang of guilt for not being able to stop it.

Despite her protests, Obi-Wan helped Timka clean up after the meal was over, while Anion sent the two youths off to bed. When he was done, he rejoined Anion, who was sitting stiffly in the living room, with a glass of some dark purple liquid held in hand. He sat down in a chair opposite the young man, who was looking into his drink thoughtfully.

"If you don't mind me asking, Master Jedi," he said slowly, "what are _you_ doing out here in the wastelands of the galaxy?"

_Smugglers_, Obi-Wan thought with a grimace. After what Anion had told him, he didn't really have much choice to reciprocate, now did he?

"I am... looking for someone," he said after a minute of silence.

"Someone?" Anion asked, sounding both amused at his guest's response, "Another Jedi?"

"Not exactly," replied Obi-Wan, "I'm looking for... his son."

Anion's eyes widened marginally and a look of surprise crossed his features before he managed to gain control again.

"Son?" the young man asked quietly, "I thought Jedi weren't allowed to have children."

"They're not," Obi-Wan said with a wry smile, "But even Jedi can break the rules you know. Some more than others...," he trailed off frowning. He really shouldn't think about that now, so he cleared his throat and continued.

"The boy was sent to his relatives here – moisture farmers – so he'd be as far away from the Empire as possible. It seems like somebody must have found him anyways though; he's disappeared without a trace."

Anion took a swig of his drink, and swirled it in his hand, thinking thoughtfully.

"Is it possible that he wandered off into the desert? Or maybe he was too far outside the grounds, and the sand people got him?"

Obi-Wan shook his head sadly – the sand people point was valid, but he was sure he'd covered that end of the mystery pretty well. The Force was urging the Jedi to trust this young man, but he didn't need to reveal everything to him.

"He was barely a year old; he wouldn't have been outside," he answered instead, "It had to have been a forced entry, and a skilful one at that. I've been searching for days, and I don't have a single lead."

"Days?" Anion echoed. Obi-Wan nodded sadly.

"Almost two weeks actually. I wasn't informed of his disappearance until recently. I know the chances, but I can't give up. I just _can't_. Not his..." Obi-Wan trailed off again, cursing at himself. Everything always came back to Anakin.

"I'll see what I can find out."

Obi-Wan's head snapped up at the other man, and before even realized it, he was protesting it

"You don't have to–"

"I know this city, Master Jedi, and it knows me. If you wish to avoid suspicion, it would be best to accept my help."

Obi-Wan knew he was right, he'd even thought of asking him for help for the same reason. He couldn't really figure out his reaction in fact; he'd intended to ask for his help.

"Thank you," the Jedi replied.

Anion merely smiled and shook his head.

"No problem."

Maybe if Obi-Wan's head hadn't been swimming with confusion and despair, he would have picked up the uneasiness behind the young man's smile, or the desolation in his eyes. As it was, such expressions escaped the Jedi's notice, and as he went to sleep that night, he had no inclinations to believe that Anakin Skywalker once again walked along the living.

Hot tears trailing down his face as he crouched by the foot of his bed, Anakin no longer knew if that was what he really wanted.

* * *

True to his word, Anakin had searched for the boy Obi-Wan was looking for. He had searched every slave-shop in the city, asked every hanger-master and every guard on-duty about the outgoing ships and some of the more criminal cargos aboard. He'd used his contacts to inquire about other cities too – yet nothing turned up. Not that Anakin had expected anything to, but that didn't help him deal with broken, miserable look on Obi-Wan's face when he'd told him. Even then though, the old Jedi had kept his composure, thanking him gratefully for his help, his strong, clear voice masking the hollowness that Anakin knew his master felt.

Obi-Wan wasn't his master anymore though, and Anakin wasn't his padawan. No matter how things turned out in the future, Anakin realized bitterly that nothing could ever bring their relationship back to what it had been before everything went horribly wrong. It was completely ruined... because of him.

Anakin had said very little as he escorted Obi-Wan to the spaceport and saw him off. He knew his old Master had picked up on his state of mind, but Anakin hadn't trusted himself to say anything. The past ten days had been nothing short of complete hell; he'd jumped at every shadow, his stomach had been too jittery to keep down even the simplest of foods, and he'd had slept in days. He'd worried that Obi-Wan might question his behaviour, but neither of them had been in the house much while searching for the lost boy, and they hadn't seen each other a lot. When they had though...

Anakin clenched his eyes shut at the memory. He'd kept himself so busy all week and he'd come home early to spend some time with Luke before the boy went to sleep. He'd found Luke and Obi-Wan out in the yard, his son sitting attentively in the older man's lap. Obi-Wan had been telling him some sort of story it seemed, with one of Luke's model starships. Obi-Wan himself was completely absorbed in his narrative, which Anakin had realized with a jolt, was of _them_. They had gone on a mission to investigate a mysterious new drug on Gandeal and Anakin had accidentally ingested it at dinner. He'd gone completely crazy and crashed a stolen speeder into the basement of the drug processing plant. He had barely remembered the adventure when he'd regained consciousness in a hospital bed. Obi-Wan had briefed him the next morning, but hadn't been able settle on reprimanding him or laughing at the ridiculousness of it all.

Anakin's heart had turned to stone upon the realization and he'd bolted from the house, clamping down on his emotions fiercely. He'd made it halfway across the city, before he'd broken down in an alley, punching the wall until his fist was covered in his own blood. He wanted that; he wanted it so kriffing badly. He wanted a real family, a real life with his wife and his children, his master and comrades at his side. Not this, this shell of an existence, hiding at the edge of the galaxy from the schutta-spawned Sith who ruined absolutely everything! Yet, as much as Anakin wanted to blame Sidious, it always came back to him. It was his own fault and even now he couldn't fix it. Sithshit...

The night Obi-Wan had left, Timka had found him in the 'junk room' as Sienn'lae liked to call it. He'd hadn't even bothered to sleep, and he set an alarm to go off every hour, to remind him to check on Luke (he'd set up a crib in the corner, but he wasn't sure he'd be able notice at that point). She hadn't said anything, just set down a tray on the table and settled a warm, scratchy blanket around his shoulders.

"I killed her, you know," Anakin whispered, brokenly, "I love her so much, I would've done anything for her... and I _killed _her. I stole our son from his family, from _Obi-Wan_, from all the people who only wanted to protect him and love him..."

"I know," she reassured him, gently squeezing his hand. And she did – Anakin's nightmares still plagued him and he hadn't been able to hold all that anger and hurt in forever. "I know," she repeated, because really she couldn't forgive him and what else was there to say.

"What am I doing? How can I..."

"Because you love him too," she whispered fiercely, "You love him more than anything and more than anyone else. You gave up _everything_ – all the power in the galaxy – for him. And that kind of love, it's the most wonderful thing in the world."

Anakin nodded, because it was true, but it didn't feel like enough. He was... he was just such a screw-up.

Timka gave him one last reassuring squeeze before she stood up; this wasn't something he was going to resolve overnight and he knew she'd be there for him if he needed her. She stopped at the door way, hand weakly clutching the wooden frame and her back to him.

"Goodnight, Anakin Skywalker."

The man's head jerked up at the name, but Timka was already gone. The name seemed so foreign to him now; a ghost of a world long gone, a world blowing away in the sands of time. It was a name full of love and hope and passion – the name of a great man with a great destiny, not just a hollow shell full of hate and despair. It was a name to live up to.

Anakin Skywalker... huh?

* * *

AN: Fast update! Woohoo.

So one quick note about this chapter. As I see it, Anakin's not ready to face Obi-Wan. He's hurt and angry and he's trying to heal, but it's going to take time. Obi-Wan's in a very similar situation. Forgiveness is going to be a long time coming, and friendship even longer. We won't be seeing Obi-Wan again for a while, though he definitely will have a big part in this story. Anakin needs to learn to forgive himself first, and he needs to figure out exactly what his role is going to be in helping fix all the shit he and Palpatine did.

Thanks to all the reviewers for the last chapter! Especially Sarge1995 - I actually hadn't thought of using the Z-95 more, but you gave me an idea and it's just snowballing like mad now :) You guys are all the best though. Seriously 100% awesome.

Reviews are like crack. I see them in my inbox, get excited, go on Wookiepedia to look up cool things and end up writing more.

Toodles.


	9. Act II: Part I

**Act II: Part I**

_The sky was a startling, sapphire blue, unmarred by a single cloud. He could feel the wind ruffle his tightly bound hair, and he closed his eyes in delight. Small droplets of water splashed against his face and he leaned even further over the yacht's railing. The lake water was clear and deep and he could see the fuzzy shapes of silvery fish as they swam alongside the boat. _

_He heard his name being called, so he brushed off his face and turned around. Athelfee, clad in a bright yellow dress with a blue bow in her long black hair, tossed him a painted ball and they played with it for a while, running all around the deck. Mother came up from under the deck with a colourful salad and called the two children to the table for lunch. _

_He spun around to answer her call, but the deck was wet, and he slipped; he was falling..._

"Luke!"

Luke sat straight up at his desk, almost bashing his head against his sister's face. Sienn'Lae didn't look amused but Luke ignored her, stretching out his arms above his head. The classroom was empty, and the shadows of the desks stretched out long along the floor. Chuba, he must have fallen asleep hours ago.

"C'mon brat, we're late," she said, her lekku swinging loose as she stalked out the door. Luke scrambled after her, grabbing his books and stuffing them into his bag. Dril was waiting for them with the speeder outside and Luke quickly piled into the backseat.

"Where was he?" Dril asked irritably once they were on their way.

"Sleeping in the back of the art room," Sienn'Lae replied languidly, her legs propped up on the seat in front of her as she lounged in the speeder's backseat.

"Sia!" Luke objected quickly as Dril turned briefly to glare at him.

"You fell asleep in class again? Luke that's like the third time this week! Why can't you just grit your teeth and pay attention? I swear–"

"It's not my fault! Really!" Luke protested, "They were talking about how great and awesome the Empire is and you know I'm not allowed to say anything bad about the Imperials else Dad'll kill me! So I just kind of tuned it out and... might've fallen asleep."

"That's what you always say. Maybe if you weren't such a nerf-head, you'd actually be able to stay awake in class, and you know, actually _learn_ something," Dril responded cynically and Luke felt like screaming. Why did the older boy have to be such an ass to him?

"I just wish they wouldn't talk about the kriffing Empire all the time. I don't know why we have to go to an Imperial school anyways. We all hate them, and Dad's pretty much a fugitive anyways."

"Be quiet moron. You know we're not supposed mention anything about that. And that's one of the reason you're going to an Imperial school – there aren't any other ones now. You'd stand out like a sore thumb having a wealthy father and not even attending school. If you weren't so fucking stupid you'd -"

"Oh shut up!" Sienn'Lae shrieked, and she grabbed the controls, spinning them around in a dizzying circle. Luke hung on to the base of the seats until Dril finally yanked the controls back and brought them to an abrupt stop.

Luke blinked rapidly, looking at the other girl warily. Sienn'Lae was wierd and more than just a little bit crazy, but she generally stood up for him. Almost half of his pranks were her ideas, and she normally ended up in the middle of them one way or another. He and Dril used to get along well, but recently he'd been even moodier than Sia and condescendingly insulted Luke whenever possible. It was annoying, but Sienn'Lae had warned him that Dril was finally discovering hormones and girls and he was going to be a complete asshole for the next few years until he grew out of it. Luke didn't really get it, but Sia had insisted that it wasn't something he'd done and he trusted her on that.

"What the hell?" Dril asked her angrily, to which Sienn'Lae promptly kicked him in the face.

"You're being a dick," she answered as he clutched his nose in his hands, "Just 'cause Soorya's a bitch and spread some stupid lies about you behind your back doesn't mean you have to take it out on Luke. And you," Luke shrank back a bit as she turned to him, "always sleep in class unless it's math or mechanics. Don't make dumb excuses."

"Don't encourage him," Dril muttered stubbornly, looking away sheepishly, "and I'm still telling Mom about this."

"Whatever," Luke murmured, and as they took off again, he pulled out a small ball of metal that he'd been working on. He'd barely just started, but his Dad's birthday was next month and he'd wanted to make him a little droid. He'd decided to make a little bronze bird but it was a lot harder than he thought and he'd have to work extra hard to finish it in time.

The ride back home didn't take very long and Luke jumped out of the speeder as soon as they reached the house.

"Hi Luke," Timka greeted him, "How was school?" She was standing behind the shop's counter, scanning headlines on the Holonet, one hand toying on the broken droid beside her.

"Boring," the boy answered, like always, and as quickly as possible he dumped his bag in the living room and ran back down to the shop.

"I'm going to Jen's. Be back for supper," he told her quickly as the door opened again to reveal his elder siblings.

"What about your homework?" she asked suspiciously, as he made a dash for the front door.

"Did it at lunch!" he shouted behind him as he stormed past Dril and unto the blazing afternoon heat. He kept jogging for another block past his house, making absolutely sure that Timka couldn't come out and drag him back.

Timka was really nice, but she was way too serious about school. 'A good education is the most important thing for your future!' she would always say, but Luke didn't buy it one bit. He was going to be the best pilot in the galaxy one day, even better than his dad was. Between that and his Force abilities, his schooling really wasn't going to be a big deal.

Jenner was waiting for him outside his house with a bolo-ball and Tohkiji, another human girl from their school.

"So have a nice nap in class today, Lucky?" Tohk asked, her black eyes glittering mischievously in the late afternoon sun.

Luke frowned at the nickname, but he'd tried absolutely everything he could think of to get rid of it to no avail.

"As a matter of fact," Luke drawled playfully, "I had an awesome nap. I'm not tired at all anymore. How was your lesson on the wonderful, thoughtful and oh so compassionate Empire?"

"Top notch as always," this time it was Jen who answered, "The Emperour is a caring saint who watches over us all and rebels are all evil child-eaters who will kidnap us in our sleep."

"Of course," Luke mocked and Jen playfully hit him in the arm. Luke tackled him and they wrestled on the dusty ground for a moment. Tohk grabbed the ball out from between them and ran off, leaving the two boys to scramble up and take off after her.

They met up with some other friends and a few of the neighbourhood kids in an old empty junk lot near Jenner's house. They got together to play bolo-ball pretty much every day after school; there really wasn't anything else for kids their age to do in Mos Eisley, or anywhere else on Tattooine for that matter. Some of the older kids would go for races out in the dunes, or sneak into the bars and 'adult' clubs. Luke had gone to watch a few of the races, but despite all their bragging, none of the teenagers were good pilots _at all_. If his dad actually let him race he would totally show them a thing or too!

His Dad the killjoy wouldn't let him though. Unfortunately he also seemed to be able to tell exactly whenever Luke was going to try and sneak out to race, as he'd intercepted Luke's every attempt. Eventually Luke had decided (completely on his own of course) that he'd wait a few years until he was older and totally destroy every one of them. Some of the guys were okay, but most of them were complete jerks and drugged out of their minds half the time. He recognized a couple of the boys from when they'd been giving Sienn'Lae a hard time a couple years ago; she'd set them straight fairly quickly, giving them a few purple bruises on their faces as a warning. Luke hadn't seen the fight of course, but he'd seen the Twi'lek practising in the yard with his dad. He felt sorry for anyone who dared go up against either of them.

The suns were starting to sink in the sky by the time Luke had collapsed on the ground from exhaustion. Everyone but Tohkiji was gasping in the shade, gulping down bottle of water. They'd played for over an hour in the blistering heat, and Luke had been unlucky enough to be on the team opposing Tohk. She was a one-woman army when it came to bolo-ball, which made no sense. She looked more like a stick than a person but she could run for hours on end.

"Hey Lucky," Luke looked up as Tohk's shadow fell over him, "aren't you supposed to be home by now." Luke nodded sullenly, and dragged himself off the hard dusty ground.

"Hey, Jen," he called out to the other boy, "you coming?"

His friend shook his head, "Nah, I'll see you guys tomorrow." Luke shrugged and left the yard with Tohk still at his side. They walked in silence for a couple minutes before the girl's curiosity got the better of her.

"His parents still fighting?" she asked softly.

"Probably," answered Luke, "Don't really know. Jen doesn't like to talk about it much."

"Yeah…" she trailed off, looking away awkwardly. When they got to the girl's house, Luke waved goodbye and continued on home at a slightly hurried pace. Timka was probably still mad about him sleeping in class; he didn't want to make it worse by being late for dinner too.

He slipped into the shop quietly and made his way through to the house in the back. He could smell the food being prepared, but his dad was still outside in the yard, so they hadn't started yet. Luke let out a sigh of relief. Now if only…

"Luke!"

The boy cringed as he stepped into the kitchen. Man, he was so going to get it.

"You, young man, are on clean-up duty for a week!" Timka declared, while shaking a scolding finger in front of Luke's face, "That means garbage, the floors, and inventory in the shop, you hear!"

"What!" Luke protested, but Timka cut him off.

"No, buts! This is the fourth week in a row you've been caught sleeping in class, and I know for a fact you get plenty of sleep at night. You are going to stop this right now, you hear? Education is a privilege Luke, not a right. I don't care if you're going to go off and be a ridiculous daredevil pilot one day, you're going to have a full education before you do!"

Luke mentally rolled his eyes, but he knew better than to argue with the woman. It was better just to do his own thing, and ignore it when she tried to mother him. And while it was true he slept in class because he was bored, but he really was tired. There was no way though that he was going to start telling her about his nightmares. His dad didn't know about most of them even.

"Yes, Aunt Timka," he murmured quietly, and the woman snorted in disbelief. She knew better than to think he had listened to a single word she'd said.

"Get cleaned up and go grab your father. Dinner's ready."

With that, Luke scampered off and quickly jumped in the fresher. When he had scrubbed off most of the dust and dirt clinging to his skin, he towelled off and grabbed a clean set of clothes. By evening his dad was generally finished working on a client's job and had moved on to his own projects. Luke had looked over some of the specs for a ship and a speeder he was designing and it seemed pretty cool, even if there were parts he didn't understand.

"Hey dad!" Luke called up to him and his father raised a hand from the other side of the courtyard, where he was half-hidden behind the shell of a broken swoop.

"Have a good game?" Anakin asked as Luke approached. He was still focused on the machine in front of him but Luke knew he had sensed him as soon as he'd entered the house.

"Yep. Tohk destroyed us like always though. Timka says dinner's ready."

His dad chuckled, "All right, well I'm pretty much done for now. A bit more tweaking and I think it'll finally be finished the engine."

As his father started to stand up, Luke jumped onto his back, wrapping his arms securely around his neck. With a playful growl Anakin flipped the boy over his shoulders, causing Luke to let out a small yelp.

"Hey put me down!" Luke tried to appear indignant at being carried in his dad's arms, but Anakin only grinned.

"Nope!" his dad replied cheerfully. Luke tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but his father held fast and carried him all the way inside to the table. Luke didn't miss the amused the expression on Timka and Sienn'Lae's faces as he was set down and he couldn't bury his embarrassed flush. He was going to get enough teasing already about his sleeping in school; this could only make it worse.

Luke scarfed down his meal of bantha steaks and sammu berries and waited quietly for his dad to finish. So long as Luke had finished his homework, every evening after dinner, his dad would teach him about the ways of the Jedi. The meditation was kind of boring, but lately he was starting to be able to _feel_ more and more and it was... pretty damn exciting. He got overwhelmed at times by the enormity of it, but his dad never let him get too deep. He was kind of paranoid about somebody sensing him, not that Anakin really had a reason to be worried. Luke was spectacular at hiding himself in the Force; if he put his mind to it, his dad wouldn't be able to sense him from less than a foot away! Concealing his presence was the first thing Luke had ever learnt to do with the Force – understandably, his dad had flat out refused to let him do anything else until he'd mastered it.

"Luke?" his dad asked restlessly, having stood up and cleared his own meal while Luke had been distracted.

The boy hurriedly cleared his plates and followed his father out of the room. They made their way to the back of the house, where stairs led down into a large stone-walled basement. Anakin turned on the lights, and Luke settled himself on a small mat at the other side of the room.

"Are we going to meditate?" The boy asked, quietly.

"Just for a few minutes," Anakin replied with a sly smile, "We'll do some exercises afterwards. I know it's pretty boring, and your connection to the Force has gotten a lot stronger recently."

"Really?"

"Yep," his dad said cheerfully. "We can even do some sparring later, if you're not too tired."

"I won't be!" Luke exclaimed. His dad laughed, ruffling his hair, and settled down in front of his son.

Luke closed his eyes, concentrating on his breathing. In, Out. In, Out. He felt as if he were floating in a tank of water – completely free but heavy and weighted down. He could feel the emptiness around him, frighteningly dark but at the same time glittering brilliantly with the life of the Force. In a way it was almost comforting. His father's severely muted presence shone dully in front of him and he felt a gentle nudge, encouraging him to broaden his senses. Luke obediently complied, expanding his mental horizons. Being so completely immersed in the Force was nearly as good as seeing through his own two eyes and in many ways, it was so much better. The boy honestly couldn't understand how some people – most people – could live without ever feeling the energy of Force around them. It was everything that lived and died, that was blissful and exultant, or poignant and heartbreaking.

Feeling a light shake from his Father again, Luke gently chided himself and tried to regain his focus. He breezed over the Tattooinian deserts - with their fleeting blips and rare pockets of life – and cities full of an instinctual kind of barbarianism as well as the dim lights of secret dreams. Anakin signalled upwards, and he followed his father's presence out into space, distinguishing the Force signals of the moons and other planets of the system, and its surrounding neighbours. With some trepidation, he explored the imprints of the inner systems, moving slowly and steadly through the Force to the galaxy's Core. By the time he'd reached the Colonies, he could, remotely, feel his body shivering in response to the darkness there.

The Sith controlled through fear, hatred, and greed. He hated the overwhelming presence, completely devoid of any hope or light, but he left himself open to it – accepting it, and acclimatizing himself to its encompassing enormity.

Luke waited a few minutes before withdrawing back to his own body. He could still feel the Force, but it was more comforting now; the Force was a part of him, rather than he, a mere speck of it. Luke allowed it sooth his emotions, letting the bleed away and back in a steady stream. Fear into grief, anger into joy, distrust into acceptance – and back again. Once he felt whole again, his emotions stabilized, Luke opened his eyes.

His dad was smiling crookedly back at him, his hand extended in front of Luke's face.

"Good job," he remarked softly, his eyes shining with pride. Luke beamed and accepted Anakin's hand as he was hoisted to his feet.

"Outside?" Luke asked hopefully; Anakin just laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, of course. Just if Timka asks, I'm showing you the engine I just finished alright? She keeps nagging me about how I shouldn't be teaching be to fight."

Luke snorted in disbelief. "You're hardly teaching me anything!" he exclaimed. His dad looked away evasively, but Luke saw his hands clench into fists and his face tighten.

"You're seven years old, Luke," Anakin said quietly, "There's no–"

"I don't care how old I am!" Luke snarled, feeling a sudden rush of anger explode from inside of him. Dammit, and everything was going so well – they hadn't fought about this in weeks.

"I'm not a normal kriffing _almost eight _year old, you've said it yourself! When you were my age you were podracing and getting into more dangerous things than I ever have. And I want to learn – to get stronger and help you defeat the emperor! The Jedi taught younglings how to use a lightsaber when they were barely more than babies so why can't I—"

"I don't care how the _jedi_ did it," Anakin interupted, deceptively calm, and Luke shut up immediately, hearing the underlying fury in his father's tone.

"In case you've forgotten," his father continued, "the Jedi are dead and they won't be teaching anybody anything now." Luke flinched at the harsh words. Kriff he'd made his dad angry – he probably wouldn't get _any_ training now.

"You are _not_ learning to use a lightsaber – and this topic_ is not open for discussion_." Anakin turned around and stormed out of the room, leaving Luke steaming behind him. Sharply, the boy turned around, lashing out at the wall beside him. His foot collided with the hard stone wall and Luke dropped to his knees, hissing in pain.

He collapsed against the wall, his head falling between his knees. He didn't understand. There was no reason not for him to learn how to wield a lightsaber. He'd be careful – he was always careful, wasn't he?

"Why doesn't he trust me?" the boy whispered, tears prickling in the corner of his eyes. A warm body settled down beside him, putting an arm over his shoulder, but Luke really didn't feel like looking up right now.

"He does trust you, honey," Timka said quietly from his side, making Luke grip his legs even more tightly, "He just scared, you know. He's worried about what might happen to you."

"That doesn't make any sense." Luke mumbled, "I'm always careful and nobody's noticed either of us so far."

"That's only part of the reason," she insisted, "He's worried about what it might do to you – lightsabers might be neat weapons, but they're weapons nonetheless Luke. They are designed to attack, to hurt, to kill. Ani doesn't want you to deal with that kind of burden."

"But I'd never misuse it; I'd never become a Sith or anything. They ruined everything, they –"

"Luke," she rebuked gently, and the boy finally lifted his head and met her eyes. "Your father never had a childhood."

Luke froze with sudden understanding. "Because he was a slave?" he asked weakly. Timka nodded.

"You dad only wants the best for you, hon. He wants you to have fun and do things for _yourself_, not for others. A bit hypocritical if you ask me," she said with a thin smile, "and I doubt you could ever put yourself before others – there's too much of your father in you. But focus on the present, Lucky, not the future. You can worry about adult problems when you get there, okay?"

"Don't call me that," Luke complained automatically. He paused for a moment, unsure of what to say.

His dad...

"I understand," he said abruptly, "but I don't agree. I mean, this is what I want. It doesn't matter if I'm a kid or an adult. I can't just pretend to feel differently. And I know this is what I'm meant to do, what I'll be happy doing. I just... Know."

Timka looked at him curiously and he could practically hear her brain going into overdrive. Luke stared straight back at her, making her chuckle and ruffled his hair lightly. Luke flattened in back down as she stood up and brushed imaginary dust of her skirt.

"You're too smart for your own good honey. Now come on," she said, pulling the boy to his feet, "Go talk to your dad."

Luke balked and tried to wiggle out of her hands, but Timka's grip was firm on his shoulders as they climbed the stairs. She ushered him outside, closing the door firmly behind him, but Luke was sure she'd be listening intently on the other side.

Looking around, he spotted his dad sitting atop an old T-series speeder, his back and shoulders held tight. Luke felt his chest clench at the sight; god, his dad was such an idiot. Anakin was probably beating himself up about being angry with him. He didn't even care about what they'd been fighting about.

Luke climbed up quietly behind him, encircling his dad's broad torso with his arms burying his face in the hard, broad back. His father jerked in surprise, but instinctively covered Luke's hands with his own cold, larger ones. Hesitantly, Anakin twisted around and pulled Luke into his lap, tucking the younger boy's head beneath his chin. They stayed like that for a while, their heartbeats slow and steady, breathing harsh and shallow as they stared out into the darkening Tatooine sunset.

"So," Anakin's voice rumbled deep in his chest, "Sparring?"

Luke laughed lightly. Anakin wasn't exactly subtle – just one of the many traits he and Luke shared.

"Exercises, first?"

"Of course," His dad answered with a broad grin. Luke scrambled into position and went through the kata methodically, from the simplest to the most complex. His dad watched him silently, correcting his form with feather-light touches.

Timka sighed softly from behind the door, backing away with light padded steps.

"Men, huh?" remarked a voice from behind her. The older woman turned around and arched an eyebrow at the young Twi'lek.

"Can't live with them," Sienn'Lae remarked mischievously, "Can't get—"

"Oh no," interrupted Timka briskly, covering the girl's mouth with her hand, "No way. No talk like that for another three years – two minimum, you hear me? And so help me, if you get knocked up..."

"Ewww, no way!" exclaimed the girl, but Timka could tell it was still in jest, "Jeez, Aunt Timka, don't say things like that. I know what I'm doing and I'm sure as hell not going to be having kids anytime soon. I'm not an idiot."

"Good. Then off to bed with you, so that I can pretend this conversation never happened."

Sia rolled her big red eyes – they both knew it was way too early for her to go to sleep – but she turned away and walked up the stairs. She'd probably chat to her friends on the HoloNet for a few hours before finally crashing. Timka stretched her arms, trying to work out some of the kinks in her shoulders, when she heard a muffled crash from outside. She should probably get to bed too. Somebody had to keep this goddamn, crazy household running and it definitely wouldn't be the Skywalkers.

* * *

AN: Hope you all enjoyed the update! (finally right? :P) Sorry for the long wait - school has been absolutely killer this semester, and between that and family issues, my muse kinda crawled up into a corner and died for the last couple months. I'm back now though, and with exams almost over I will try my best to have another chapter up before new years when I go away!

Anyways, we finally get to see little Luke here, and the majority of this 'Act' will deal with his childhood and will be in his POV. It will be an interesting ride, and between dealing with his Force abilities and growing up in the cesspool of the galaxy he's going to grow up rather quickly. Thank you to everyone who reviewed. Seriously, you guys are the reason I push myself to break through my writer's block and to use my procrastination time writing rather than watching TV :)

Until next time.


	10. Act II: Part II

**Act II: Part II**

"Luke! Luke, hey wait up!"

Luke turned around to see Jenner running up behind him. School had just finished for the week and Luke was looking forward to his dad's birthday tomorrow. He'd pretty much finished his gift, but there were a couple minor adjustments he needed to make before it was completely finished.

"Hey," the older boy panted, bending over his knees to catch his breath, "Can I stay at your place for a bit again today?"

Luke groaned; this would be the fourth time this week Jen had asked to come over to his place, and while he generally like the other boy, he'd been so annoying lately. There was something going on with his parents Luke had found out, but even so, Jen didn't have to be such a bantha about it.

"Seriously, Jen. Timka's gonna start snooping soon, and she'll find out about your parents, and then _I'll _be the one who gets in trouble for it."

"I know, I know," said Jenner, his eyes big and pleading, "But it's getting really bad man. They're always yelling at each other and they're talking about divorce and stuff. Can I at least stay like 'til like after dinner or something?"

"Ya, sure," Luke said indifferently. Every time that Jen came over, he'd just talk on and on and on complaining about his parents. Luke tried to get him to play vids or join him in the junkyard, but he kept saying that he didn't want to play. Luke didn't get it – why in the galaxy would Jen want to go over to a friend's house and not play? That was just stupid.

The two boys walked to Luke's house in silence. Timka welcomed Jenner with a big hug and Luke had to keep himself from laughing at the bright red blush on his friend's face. Luke grabbed a couple biscuits from the pantry and dragged Jen out from Timka's arms and into the yard.

"Lucian, you two had better be doing homework!" Timka yelled after them.

"We are," Luke shouted back, dropping his bag beside one of his dad's speeders. Luke had absolutely no intention to read the bullshit the teachers were forcing on them, and he'd finished his math work in class again. Math was one of the only things in school he was good at _and _actually liked; he was already two levels ahead of the other kids his age.

"Come on, Luke," Jenner groaned, "You gotta do your reading. You'll get in trouble again and-"

"Don't care," the boy responded shortly, digging through a pile of droid parts. He found a couple of miniature motors that he could work with and moved over to his dad's pile of tools. Theoretically, it was supposed to be an actual tool cabinet (the cabinet part of which was currently lying in scraps somewhere on the grounds), but his dad wasn't the most organized person. All the instruments were either in the pile or scattered around the yard sitting atop his most recent projects. It's not like anything was lost or misplaced though – they both knew where everything was despite Timka's constant disbelief.

Luke pulled a small little figure out of his pocket and chose a spot of soft earth to settle down on. The figure was finally looking like the bird Luke had imagined, but it still needed some tweaking before functional. He focused intently on the tiny little joints that joined the wings with the bird's body, ignoring Jenner's constant chatter behind him as he became absorbed in his work. Nearly an hour had passed before Luke finally looked up and realized how the time had flown. Jen must have finished his reading a while ago; he'd probably gone inside to watch some holocasts. Luke took out the cans of metal paint and quickly brushed on the primer coat. It wouldn't take long to dry in the hot Tatooine sun, so Luke would be able to paint on the colours (blue and gold as he'd decided yesterday after much deliberation) later that evening.

As he'd suspected, Jenner was sprawled across a couch watching the small screen in the living room. Luke fell down beside him; Timka was making dinner in the kitchen, meaning that 'Lae and Dril were probably running the shop. While Luke was tempted to join them, he'd seen the glare Timka had shot his way when he'd come in and thought better of it. She'd scold him later about how he should pay attention when he had guests over or something, he was sure of it. At least she knew better to reprimand him in front of his friends. She'd tried once before and Luke had gotten so upset he'd accidentally broken a vase with the Force.

He loved Timka, he really did, but she wasn't his mother and he didn't want anyone else thinking that she was. He'd rather people know that his mother was dead; that way it meant nobody could ever replace her. His dad had been completely boggled when he explained it to him, but he'd at least made a show of understanding what Luke was saying. That was good enough.

He and Jenner watched some sort of kid's show for a little while, but Luke found his attention wandering only a few minutes in. He didn't get how Jen could watch such boring, dumb things – Luke didn't watch a lot of the Holonet, but at least his shows were exciting, like swoop racing or action shows with lots of cool explosions and starship battles. He didn't have to suffer too long though before Timka called everyone to dinner. Luke ducked out briefly to the courtyard to paint a the final coat on the little mechanical bird, and left it there once again to dry before heading inside.

His Dad still hadn't come home by the time they settled at the table though, and Luke was beginning to get a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. It got heavier and heavier by the minute, and he was barely able to get more than a few forkfuls of food down before he'd lost his appetite. Timka seemed not to notice, chatting happily with Jenner, despite the boy's clear reluctance and nervousness, and Dril and Timka were still arguing over something that had happened at school. When Timka finally made the rounds to clear everyone's plate, Luke sprang up and ran out of the dining room, despite Timka and Jenner's calls behind him. He slipped quietly into the now dark shop and jumped on the store counter to wait. After a moment's hesitation, he reached out with the Force and flicked on just the store's entrance light. The soft, harsh light gave the shop a ghostly, eerie glow, but Luke knew the shivers racing down his spine were from something else entirely.

He didn't have to wait long before the front door slid open and Anakin stepped in. It was clear that he was worried about something, and he didn't even notice Luke at first.

"What's wrong?" Luke asked softly. Anakin's head snapped up and he grimaced upon seeing the boy on the counter, "And don't tell me it's nothing."

Anakin sighed deeply, running a hand through his short hair.

"God, you're just..." Anakin murmured, his eyebrows pinching together as he obviously pieced together what he wanted to say. "Well, I just got back from meeting with a contact of mine in Anchorhead – he has a mission he wants me to carry out for the Rebellion."

Luke felt his heart jump in his chest – the Rebellion? He knew his dad helped out the rebels on Tatooine sometimes, but he normally just gave them information or helped them out with weapons and repairs. He'd never gone on a _real_ mission before.

"That's awesome!" Luke shouted, jumping up to hug his dad, not noticing how tense and worried the man was, "What are you doing? Are you going to fight Imps? Are-?"

Anakin clamped a hand over his son's mouth, effectively cutting off the excited boy's stream of questions.

"It's nothing too exciting," he replied gravely, "I'm escorting an ambassador of sorts to Kothlis, to meet with members of the Bothan council."

"Bothan? Luke asked curiously.

"A furry humanoid species, a bit shorter than humans. They're quite the politicians I've heard."

"I thought you didn't like politicians?"

"Luke," his dad warned, and the boy grinned sillily. He just couldn't believe his dad was going on a real rebel mission!

"Ok, sorry. When do you leave?"

Anakin looked away guiltily. "Tomorrow morning," he said shortly.

The grin fell off Luke's face abruptly. Tomorrow...

"But tomorrow's your birthday!" he exclaimed, "You can't leave on your birthday!"

Anakin ruffled Luke's hair softly, "I'm sorry Luke, I really am, but I'm the only one they have in this area who's not on the Empire's most wanted list. They need a legitimate pilot so that if the Imps happen to catch wind of something, there's no trail to lead them back to the Alliance. They've almost been caught once already and they were lucky they were even able to reroute to Tatooine. My background won't hold up to the most detailed scrutinization, but it's the best they've got. The Councillor is already here, and they want me to leave as soon as possible. I managed to push it back to tomorrow, but it can't be any later than that. I really wish there was something else I could do but there just... isn't."

Luke felt his eyes watering, and he buried his face into his dad's tunic.

"It's not fair," he whispered softly.

"Luke–"

"I don't want you to go!" Luke yelled, his voice hoarse and muffled by the shirt in front of his face.

Anakin's face crumpled but he didn't say anything. He only tightened his hold on the shaking boy around his waist.

"I don't want you to go," the boy repeated softly, "I don't want you to go. Stay here. Please. I want you to stay here. With me."

His father still didn't say anything, but Luke knew he'd lost. His dad _never_ changed his mind about things like this. It didn't make Luke any less angry though.

Luke slowly took his arms out from around his dad's waist, his eyes glued to the floor. A small touch on the outside of his ear made him look up on instinct, though he cursed at seeing his dad's face. He was the one leaving – he wasn't allowed to look that sad.

"I'll be back before you know it Luke," the older man said gently, "And I'll bring you back a present, okay?"

Luke felt his chest tighten and he slapped Anakin's hand away.

"I don't want a present!" he screamed, and sprinted out of the shop. Timka called after him as he passed through the kitchen, but Luke ignored her and stormed upstairs. He slammed the door to his room, enjoying the sharp crash it made as it shut, and buried himself under his covers. Tears rolled down his cheeks and Luke rubbed them away savagely. He hated crying. It made him feel weak and helpless and... and he just hated it, but whenever he argued with his dad he just couldn't damn help it!

He wasn't sure how long he stayed like that, but eventually the tears and sobs stopped coming, and the door to his room opened. Luke could tell that it was his dad and rolled on his side away from him. Anakin didn't say anything; he just sat down beside the boy and lightly rested a hand on his head.

"Did I ever tell you of the time me and Obi-Wan went on a mission to the planet Aleen? Well, Obi-Wan went on the mission; I just kind of tagged along. It was a peace-keeping mission; tensions among the governing council had be rising for the past year and it was fear the planet might erupt into civil war. Obi-Wan and another Jedi, Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, were sent there officially to aid the treaty reformation but also unofficially to protect the politicians from one another.

I had only been Obi-Wan's Padi-Wan for a couple years and while my Master had already made a name for himself in his negotiating skills, I would've only been a hindrance to the team. I was supposed to stay on Coruscant, continuing my training with the other apprentices. I was pretty upset though, and my master and I fought about him leaving. It was... my birthday about a week after he would arrive on Aleen. With the type of mission it was, there was no way he'd be back in time. When we fought though, he never even mentioned it, never apologized for not being there, and I was convinced he'd forgotten about my birthday altogether.

I gathered my things together, bringing only a few tools, a blaster, and a couple of micro-explosives, just in case, you know – I really couldn't risk trying to steal a lightsaber. The central shipyard had a cargo ship leaving for Aleen that night, and I was able to sneak out of the temple and find a way aboard.

Obi-Wan and Master Mundi had left just shortly ahead of me, and were already planet-side by the time the cargo ship got there. It was a slower ship, and I realized they probably had been warned of my disappearance while I was in transit. But you see Luke, I had heard of Aleen a number of times before even joining the Jedi and I had no intention of joining my master. Rather, I went straight to the city Raiile, and with a little disguise and persuasion, I signed up for the Aleen Classic."

"Classic?" Luke echoed in surprise. He cursed himself though as soon as he saw his father's soft smile. He was supposed to be angry at him, not listening quietly to his story!

"Yep," Anakin replied cheerfully, "Although podracing was illegal on Coruscant, it was an accepted sport on many other Republic planets. They weren't too keen on letting a human boy participate, but one of the organizers recognized me from the Boonta Eve Classic in Mos Espa and registered me himself. He even sponsored me for the race, getting me a decent racing pod. I only had a few days before the race, so I spent all my time modding it. It wasn't my best work, but it got the job done."

"And let me guess: you won the race?" Luke asked, rolling his eyes.

"Why of course I did," Anakin responded cheekily, "I'm the best pilot in the galaxy remember? Anyways, after the race my sponsor threw a huge party at one of the capitol's ritziest hotels with some of the money he'd won. I was a little nervous going, since I'd be in the same city as Obi-Wan, but I didn't have much of a choice. Not to mention I was feeling pretty pleased with myself after everything."

"So what happened?"

"We partied our asses off," Anakin said with a sly grin, "I may have only been twelve but a room full of rich, drunk adults isn't going to care whether or not I have a glass of wine or two. Needless to say, by the end of the night I was in quite a good mood, and I went for a walk in the gardens."

"Somehow, Obi-Wan was there to meet me. He didn't say anything, just stood there, his hands behind his back, just looking at me. I had... absolutely no freaking clue what to do. I'm pretty sure I stood there for a couple minutes dumbfounded at first. Then I bowed down really low and apologized over and over and over again. By that point I was crying a little – I was so scared he was going to hate me. Obi-Wan didn't scold me though; he didn't tell me to leave. He just put a hand on my shoulder and asked me why."

"I said it was my birthday, and he just looked at me sadly and said, 'I know'. I clung to his robes, demanding why he left and telling him how horrible a master he was. I must've fallen asleep some point during all the yelling, because I woke up the next morning in Obi-Wan's room. Both the Jedi were gone, but Obi-Wan left me a note, wishing me a happy birthday and telling me to stay in the room and order room service. I did just that, too worried to risk upsetting my master again, but I fell asleep that night before either of them returned."

"The next morning, Obi-Wan woke me up and dragged me off to the starport. He booked my ticket back to Coruscant, and very seriously told me to listen to Master Yoda when I got back. He also told me he'd never forget my birthday and that I should've know that. But you know Luke, I didn't care if he'd remembered my birthday. He'd left me in that hotel room the entire day and didn't even _see _me. It hurt so much more to think that - rather than having forgotten - he had remembered and just didn't care. It took me years to realize what he'd been trying to tell me: that he really did care, but we were Jedi, and to us duty always came first."

"That's stupid," Luke interjected, "Even if he had gone on the mission, he could have wished you happy birthday before you left, or given you a gift, or, or... or something!"

Anakin ruffled his son's hair and said, "I completely agree with you. But that's how the Jedi were Luke: emotions were supposed to mean nothing to us. People still felt, but those feelings were completely unimportant."

"I still say it's stupid," Luke muttered, "It's no wonder they didn't see it coming."

"Luke," Anakin said sharply. Luke mumbled an apology, but he didn't really mean it. He knew the Jedi were the peacekeepers of the galaxy, and had done a lot of good for the Republic. He just couldn't imagine what it would have been like to not have his father tell him he loved him. And despite Ani's objections, that's what Kenobi had been to him: his father.

"So, um, what was the point of that story for, you know, us?" Luke asked quietly, once he'd calmed down, and wiped the tear tracks off his cheeks.

"Well..." his dad drawled, eyes roving around the room and hand going to the back of his head like it always did when he was put on the spot.

"It didn't even have a point, did it?" Luke exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the older man. His dad always did this, telling him fantastic stories of his Jedi days just to distract him!

"Hey now," Anakin defended, putting his hands up mockingly in front of him. "It's a good story! And I'm sure there's a point in there somewhere..."

Luke giggled in amazement at his father's ridiculousness, and launched himself into the man's chest. He could never stay angry at his dad; Luke loved him so much, and he knew no matter how much they fought, they'd always be okay in the end. Anakin's arms squeezed the boy's shoulders tightly, and Luke could feel the events and excitement of the day begin to set it.

"You better bring me an awesome present you know," Luke murmured with a small yawn.

"I will," Anakin said seriously. He gave Luke a kiss on his forehead and made a motion to leave, but Luke grabbed his tunic before he could go.

"Um," Luke said sheepishly, looking down at his lap, "Can I give you your birthday present now? Since you're leaving tomorrow and all..."

Anakin's expression softened and he wordlessly agreed. Luke ran quickly down the stairs and into the yard, picking up the bird gently in his hands. A quick check revealed that paint had thankfully dried and he went inside to where his father was waiting.

"Happy Birthday," Luke whispered warmly as he placed the bird in his father's enormous, calloused hands. His father took it from him tenderly, feeling it over curiously and with keen practised eye. He found the switch on machine's belly and the delicate wings snapped to life, causing the bird to shake its feathers briskly before taking off gracefully into the air. It circled around the room once, before landing on Anakin's shoulders where it peeped and preened itself to very little effect. The man held out a finger in front of it, and the bird jumped on, its smooth head craning curiously at the former Jedi.

"It's beautiful Luke," Anakin croaked, overcome with his son's effort and brilliance. The grin Luke gave him in return could have blinded stars and Anakin enveloped his son in a rough hug.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," he swore to his son, "I promise."

They both knew that'd Anakin would do everything to keep that promise, but if either of them noticed the little niggling at the back of their mind, warning them that they were missing something, then neither of them mentioned it.

Who would ever really be able to get in the way of a Skywalker and adventure anyways?

* * *

AN: Duh duh duuuun. So the last few chapters have focused very heavily on character development, but in the next couple chapters we'll be seeing a little bit more action and excitement. Once again, my update is later than I'd like it to be, but I'm trying to be very specific with how Luke sees and interacts with his father, and gosh it's hard to get it right to my satisfaction! Oh Luke and Anakin, why can't you just get along?

Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this unbeta'd chapter (my beta possibly has even more schoolwork than me, so she's kind of disappeared under a mound of books at least until May). I wanted to try and get it out before I go away for Reading Week so there's probably at least a few glaring grammatical errors that I just can't see. Your reviews are all awesome, and they make me feel all bubbly and happy and important inside, so please keep it up! :) Until next time.

PS: See that button down there with the little speech bubble? That's the review button. It's kind of awesome... just saying.


	11. Act II: Part III

**Act II: Part III**

The next morning was plagued by a tense silence, as Anakin packed his bags and prepared for his trip to Kothlis. Luke was trying not to sulk, but he just couldn't help it. As excited as he was for his Dad to be helping the rebellion, he really wanted his Dad to stay with _him_.

Luke accompanied his father to the hangar, for one final goodbye and as the transport carrier took off in the cloudless sky, Luke felt his eyes burn with tears. He bit his lip though, and refused to let himself cry over something so silly – his Dad would be back soon. He'd promised after all.

The next few days passed difficulty for Luke. While he continued with his normal routine falling asleep in class and hanging out with Jenner and Tohk, terrifying visions haunted him in his sleep. He couldn't remember them very well when he woke up, his skin and sheets soaked with sweat. There were flashes of gold and heat, and the blurry faces of people he couldn't identify. Sometimes he saw bodies, hidden away and left to rot in the dark. The smell never left him, and Luke could barely choke down his food in the morning. He'd started using the Force to levitate the food under the table and to the garbage so that Timka wouldn't become suspicious.

It wasn't the bodies or the shadowy faces though that generally had Luke bolting out of bed. Every single nightmare, he woke up to a piercing scream from behind him – to a girl calling his name who was cut off before Luke could even turn around. It was most important part of the vision in Luke's opinion, but for the life of him he just couldn't place the voice.

"You alright Lucky?" Tohk asked one day, when they were hanging out in the markets after school. Jenner had gone home already, too intimidated by his parents' fighting to risk angering them. It had been almost a week since Anakin had left, and Luke was avoiding his house as much as possible. Timka was always fussing, and with Luke being unable to sleep more than a couple hours a night, he found himself unable to stand her constant nagging.

"Lucky! Hey!" Tohk snapped, her hand waving in front of the young boy's face.

"Hmm?" he hummed dreamily. He'd been watching a huge green Trandoshan get stared down by a wrinkled, brown-skinned woman, probably only a foot taller than himself. She'd even gone so far as to repeatedly whack the reptile with her walking stick, making Luke snigger. Never mess with Tatooine merchants, especially the old and female kind.

"I_ said_," Tohk repeated, turning the boy around to face her, "Are you alright?"

Luke looked at her strangely, but guessed she'd probably noticed the dark circles under his eyes and frequent yawning that had accompanied him the past few days.

"I'm fine, just haven't been sleeping well," Luke replied airily.

Tohk wrapped one arm around his shoulders. "Nightmares?" she questioned.

Luke nodded, but stayed silent on the matter. He didn't explain his visions to anyone but his father, and that was only sometimes.

"Your dad will be back soon, Lucky. Don't worry."

"I know," Luke bit out shortly. If that's what she thought Luke was worrying about that was fine by him. The dreams were making him edgy though, and he really did not want to continue down this line of conversation.

"So do you know what's up with Jen?" the girl asked, changing the subject abruptly, though Luke couldn't tell if she'd noticed his attitude or not. "Has he told you anything new?"

"No," Luke answered his full attention now on her, "He's hiding something from though, I know it. He's nervous all the time, and he keeps lying about the arguing."

"I overheard my parents talking last night," she whispered, glancing around nervously, as if someone might overhear and take offense to their conversation. "Apparently his mom's run into trouble with the Hutts."

"What kind of trouble," Luke wondered, eyes wide and alert.

"Not sure," Tohk replied fearfully, "But nothing good could ever come from the Hutts."

Luke nodded thoughtfully. Despite the Imperial garrisons now on Tatooine, the Hutts were the _true _rulers of the planet. They controlled every shady business in town, from the slave traders to the smugglers selling stolen goods to the prostitutes lounging in dark alleys. Behind every murder, every disappearance, a Hutt was lurking in the shadows. Even simple farmers and merchants, in the face of a bad season or slow business, had no choice but to borrow from the Hutts. Their hands were on pretty mucheverything.

"I'm worried Lucky," she confided, leaning against his shoulder for support, "Something feels wrong about this."

"Me too," Luke whispered back, "But what can we do?"

Neither of them had an answer. They didn't say anything else after that.

* * *

Jenner didn't show up to school the next day, or the day after that. Luke's nightmares had steadily been getting worse, and by the time the weekend came around, he was convinced that his dreams had something to do with Jen's disappearance. His father always told him to listen to the Force, and by the stars it was telling him something about the whole situation was _wrong_.

Luke had gone by after school to check on him, but Jen's father had promptly slammed the door in his face before Luke could get a single word out. Feeling more confident that he was on to something, he went back again the next day, recording droid hovering discreetly by the top of the door. He got an earful from Jenner's father (who despite being rather large and beefy, really wasn't that intimidating to the almost-8-year old) and another door in his face. The fly-droid he'd hidden in his balled up palm had successfully entered the house though and the blond-haired youth bolted home as fast as his legs could carry him, flying into his room and slamming down the headset on his wind-strewn hair. He had to fiddle with the frequencies a bit, but it wasn't long before he had a distinct, slightly static-y signal.

"-what if he goes to the Imperials? Or his father? You heard what that man did to those two Corellians – they were speaking gibberish for _months_"

"The Imperials will not interfere in the affairs of the Hutts," a female voice interrupted quietly, "And the boy's father is off-planet, surely you know that?"

"Oh he's gone now, but how long before he comes back?" The man was speaking again "I don't want anything to do with that nosy son-of-a-bitch."

"What can he do Larson? Do you really think the boy's father will take on the Hutts by himself? Even the Empire isn't foolish enough to try and destroy them, and he'll find no support here or anywhere else in this quadrant. No one man would dare take them on alone."

"We wouldn't even be in this mess if it wasn't for your miserable, starforsaken brother—"

"I will_ not_ give him up," Jen's mother spat harshly, "Do you know what they'll do to him? They'll tear him apart finger by finger, toe by toe, limb by limb – can you even _imagine_that kind of torture! Can—"

"Can you imagine what they'll do to our son?" the man roared and Luke jumped back in shock, "Foolish woman, do you really think they won't do _exactly the same thing _to our son?"

There was a short pause and – "They wouldn't dare," she whispered quietly, "They need him alive and whole if they want to get their hands on Wyatt."

"The Hutts aren't known for their patience Lahna. They won't wait forever and when they've decided they've waited long enough, his death will be on your head. You'd best remember that."

A door slammed faintly in the background and Luke took the headphones off, hands trembling. Jen had been taken by the Hutts. _Sithspawn_. How could –

Images of charred bodies flickered through his mind and Luke curled into a quivering ball as the odour permeated his senses. He felt like he couldn't control his body; he was terrified and angry and he needed to do something but everything just refused to _move_. A single picture congealed in his mind's eye: a middle-aged man with oozing, bloody red sores covering his bare limbs with a frail arm around the shoulders of a small boy. The man was whispering into the boy's ear, and when he looked up, Luke gasped. It was Jen, with a black eye and small scrapes on his right cheek, looking even more frightened that Luke felt. There were chains on his wrists, and as an invisible intruder shoved the pair forward, Jen stumbled roughly along until Luke could see no more.

Luke looked down at his trembling hands and angrily gripped the sides of his legs to keep them still. He had to help his friend; it didn't matter how kriffing scared he was, there was no way in the galaxy that Luke could leave Jen in there. And really, he was the _only_ one who could help him – Luke had the Force on his side, and it was the one thing that might give him an edge against the Hutts.

There was a timid knock on the door and Timka's voice called out to him quietly. He opened the door, assuring her confidently that nothing was wrong. He could tell she didn't believe him, but she didn't push (she almost seemed scared of pushing him since his father had left, and Luke wasn't sure how he felt about that). The night passed quietly, but Luke was busy planning. He only hoped that Jen's mother was right, and that by the time he got there, Jen was still in one piece.

* * *

"You're insane."

"I'm serious he—"

"No, I mean you're really insane. Completely, totally bantha-shit crazy."

"Tohk," Luke deadpanned, but the dark-haired girl would not relent.

"No. Absolutely not. I don't know what the kriff you're thinking, but we are _NOT_ breaking into Gardulla's headquarters. _Do you understand me?_"

"So you'll leave him to die?" Luke asked quietly, and Tohk flinched. Maybe he was being a bit cruel, but Tohk had to understand, "If we don't save him, no one else will Tohk. It's the truth."

"Jen's parents –" she began, but Luke cut her off.

"Have abandoned him. Even if they do eventually decide to... trade for him, how do you know it won't be too late? He's already been gone for three days; he might not have much longer."

Tohk kept her gaze on the dry dirt beneath her, but Luke could tell she was thinking. He sighed wistfully, leaning back against the rocky cliff and shielding his eyes from the unrelenting suns. They were sitting in sunniest spot the school 'courtyard', which practically guaranteed their privacy. A flock of bonegnawers passed high overhead and Luke lazily traced their path through the cloudless sky.

"What can we do, Lucian?" Tohk whispered quietly, "We're just a couple of kids. We'll _die_."

"We won't," Luke gripped her shoulders fervently, turning her around to face him, "We _won't_ die. I promise."

Maybe his promise shouldn't have meant so much to her; he was just a kid too. But he saw the way that the older girl looked at him, like he had all the answers – like nothing could possibly go wrong if he said so.

Luke couldn't meet her gaze any longer, and he looked away as a tight feeling coiled in his stomach. He turned to the open horizon, watching the grainy sand rise gently over the tops of the dunes. It was almost like a delicate dance, the play of wind and golden slopes, and Luke was struck with a sudden feeling of the vastness of this planet and the galaxy and _shit_. This was a bad idea – a very, _very _bad idea, how could he ever hope to take on the Hutts. He was just a goddamn kid!

Luke quietly excused himself from Tohk, telling her he'd meet her tomorrow with the blueprints to the facility.

He could hear the bell go off signalling the end of their lunch period, but Luke couldn't go back to class. His legs were practically itching with restlessness, and he thought he might just explode if he had to sit still for another three hours straight.

So despite the lecture he was sure to get from Timka when he got home, Luke set off along a winding path among the worn cliffs that wrapped behind the school grounds. He trailed his hand along the weathered rock as he climbed the gentle ascent, trying to focus on the asperous stone rather than the images that haunted his thoughts. It didn't take long for Luke to reach the small plateau that was a favourite spot of his. It was surrounded on all sides by towering red-ish peaks that cut off the view from the sand that stretched to the horizon, and provided a small modicum of shelter from the overbearing suns.

Luke settled down in a shaded area near the cliff edge, crossing his legs and letting his arms rest comfortably in his lap, just as his father had taught him. Trying to ignore the sweat that trickled down his neck and back, Luke opened up his mind to the force, allowing it to wash over his turbulent emotions while keeping his own shields firmly in place. He let his mind wander breezily over the swathes of desert, through his school and into the heart of Mos Eisley, exposing himself to the flittering thoughts and actions of the city's people as they carried out their day.

The young boy could feel his emotions rolling ferociously inside him even more clearly now. The frustration, anger, hopelessness all weaved into such a powerful wave that Luke nearly let his shields falter under the onslaught.

Trying to regain his composure, Luke slowed down his breathing, fastening on to the even rhythm of the air entering and leaving his lungs. The fervour refused to settle though, and had Luke not recognized the irony of the situation, he would have huffed in even further frustration. The boy tried to recall the mellow baritone of his father's voice, but the memories of their meditation sessions all but slipped through his fingers like water.

"_Don't try and fight your feelings. Just let them be – accept them and feel them – but nothing more."_

Easier said than done, Luke thought bitterly, but he tried to center again on his breathing, in and out, in and out.

"_When the emotions have settled, slowly draw them in the Force. Imagine you're feeding them to it – gently explore your thoughts and allow the Force to calm them."_

Slowly, the waves of sensation began to ebb and Luke could feel the energy of the Force humming along his skin. Ever so gently, he opened up his mind to it, letting all his worries and dreams swirl around in the power that engulfed him.

He wasn't quite sure how long he sat there, but as Luke stood up and stretched his unwieldy legs he feel as if a colossal weight had been lifted from his back. It was the first time he'd been able to complete a meditation session on his own, and his Dad wouldn't be able to believe it when he got back. The worries we still there, but he was looking at them from the outside now, and he knew what he needed to do.

No one else was going to save his friend; his parents wouldn't mess up their own stuck-up lives to save him, and Luke's dad wouldn't be back for weeks. Yes he was a kid, but it would kill him to just leave someone he cared about to die in that rotten hell hole. Luke would do whatever it took to save him. It would have to be enough.

* * *

AN: Fast update, yay! So I was able to write most of this over my winter break off school, but hopefully the next chapter won't be too long of a wait either. I figured I'd leave a quick note about this Act of the story: Luke's childhood and certain important events are going to be explored in a series of small mini-arcs, of which this is the first and longest (probably...). Most of these chapters will be from Luke's perspective, though there will be some from Anakin's too (and maybe a couple other familiar characters). After that, the story will tie in more with the original Star Wars timeline, though it will be AU, and there will be some important changes to certain character's personalities.

Anyways, thanks for all your wonderful reviews! I love reading them, even the ones that are just a line or two!

Later gaters.


	12. Act II: Part IV

**Act II: Part IV**

The next couple days passed with a strange sense of calm for Luke. There were no whispers or suspicious glances from his family members, no irritation or concealed worry. Honestly, Luke had half expected Timka to be onto his plan, especially with how she'd continuously hovered over him since his Dad had left. The latter at least, certainly would have figured out what Luke was up to long before now. It would seem Timka had no such misgivings though, and she incessantly continued her daily routine of nagging Luke about his schooling.

Obtaining the blueprints to Gardulla's manor was just as surreptitiously simple. Luke had installed a hidden administrative account on his father's main terminal the previous year, after he'd had a small altercation at school and his father had blown up at him. His father had confiscated _all _of Luke's data devices and locked them sith-knows-where. Luke wasn't sure if his dad had ever discovered the account, but he'd never shut it down. After gaining admin access, it was merely a matter of guessing the passwords his father had put on the folders containing his questionably legal content. It wasn't all that of an arduous task seeing as his father was wholly uncreative the combinations; Luke wasn't at all surprised that he'd used the names of his old starships.

Luke and Tohk went over the designs during their lunch period the following day. The young Skywalker kept his senses open, constantly aware of any other life forms that might approach them and overhear. They mapped out the easiest route for them to get into the compound, starting from the ventilation shafts on the main floor that ran through the service areas all the way to the detention level. The regular cells themselves had no ventilation, only those for high-security prisoners, so from there, they'd have to go by foot. They had no way of knowing what cell Jenner would be in, but Luke reassured Tohk that'd they'd figure it out. He himself was confident in his ability to sense the faint but distinctive presence of his friend.

With Tohk being a year older than him they had separate classes after lunch and Luke couldn't help the worry that crawled across his skin as they parted. She'd done an admirable job of hiding it, but Luke could sense how terrified the other girl was. Maybe it hadn't been the best idea to involve her; that said, Jenner was her friend too and leaving her out of his plans just felt... wrong. He'd have to be extra careful to make sure they didn't run into trouble. Luke was fairly confident in his ability to get out of a minor scuffle or two, but he doubted Tohk would be able to handle herself.

As the night of their infiltration approached, Luke found himself meditating more than usual. Not out of fear – strangely he really didn't feel afraid – but to try and get rid of the thoughts hounding him, telling him that something was going to go wrong. He felt calm as the clock finally struck one, but something, perhaps his nerves or sheer anticipation, had to have distracted him as quietly snuck out the front door.

"Wha-mrefffh," was all he managed to get out as an arm reached out and covered his mouth, dragging him around the corner of the house and into a small, deserted street.

"What the hell are you up to idiot?" a feminine voice snarled in his ear, and Luke wrenched himself away to face his aggressor. He wasn't particularly shocked to see Sienn'lae glaring down at him, red eyes blazing, but he stubbornly kept his mouth shut. This had nothing to do with her; he could handle it perfectly well on his own.

"If you don't tell me, I_ will_ drag you back into that house and wake up mom," the young Twi'lek said after a moment, and Luke grit his teeth, perfectly aware that she would. 'Lae wasn't the most protective of 'sisters', but even with her limited Force capabilities she was more than able to tell when Luke had gotten into serious trouble.

"Jenner was taken by the Hutts – his parents got caught up in some stupid shit and he got stuck in the middle. I have to get him out." Luke finally responded, looking up defiantly at the older girl. Even if she knew what he was doing, he would not let her stop him. His resolve would not waver from Sienn'lae's threats or warnings.

"And you know this because...?" the other girl queried. Luke couldn't pick up whether she was angry or just curious.

"I eavesdropped," he answers bluntly, and he just managed to catch the small smile the graced the Twi'lek's lips. She didn't say anything back for quite a few minutes, and Luke looked anxiously at the sky, well aware he was now already late for meeting Tohk.

"I'm coming with you," she finally declared, and when Luke began to protest, she cut him off.

"Don't be stupid, Luke. There's danger in the air tonight, and you know it as well as I do. I'm also the only one who knows how to use this," she said, waving around a small blaster she'd been carrying in the back of her belt. Luke wasn't happy about it, but he reluctantly accepted her help. He'd wanted to do this on his own (now there was no _way_ his dad wouldn't find out), but having someone who could actually use a blaster could get them out of a bad situation if something went awry.

"You should get a suit," he told the white girl reluctantly.

"What?" the girl exclaimed, and Luke held a finger up to his lips frantically shushing her.

"A suit," Luke repeated, gesturing to the thick blue coveralls that covered his body, nearly identifical to the ones he bought and given Tohk the day before. "We're going in through the ventilation shafts. Bring a pack as well."

"Oh, of all the stupid ideas," Sienn'lae moaned, bringing a hand up to her forehead in consternation. Luke honestly couldn't tell if she was mocking him or not.

"You don't have to come you know," the boy snapped, very aware of how much time had already passed talking to the other girl. They needed this time to get into Gardulla's facility; he couldn't waste it arguing.

"Fine, fine," 'Lae soothed placatingly, "Jeez. I'll be right back, then."

True to her word, Sienn'lae only took a few minutes to change into a similar pair of coveralls – they both needed them to work with things like speeders, engines and other starship parts – and they set off without another complaint from the Twi'lek. They met Tohk outside of her house, and the black-hairedgirl lifted an eyebrow to Sienn'lae's presence.

_What's she doing here?_ It asked Luke, and he gave her a small shrug in response.

_There was no helping it_.

They continued on without any further hesitation, threading their way silently through the shadowy Mos Eisley alleys that they knew so well. Nobody paid their small group much attention; out in public, people on Tatooine more or less kept to themselves. There was no telling who you might piss off by sticking your nose in somebody else's business, and those foolish enough to do so normally didn't last very long. Tohk was holding up pretty well, but her fear and nervousness were even stronger than before. Luke had thought about it a great deal and could somewhat understand her reaction. He and Sienn'lae had grown up on his father's tales of the wars; they'd been fed stories of betrayals, deceptions and irreversible mistakes since they were both young. They'd seen the scars it left upon him, both mentally and physically and Luke could tell that despite his father's best efforts, it had made the two of them tougher.

Tohk wasn't like that, despite having lived her entire life on the desert planet. She'd grown up in a city of criminals, but her parents had fairly clean reputations and they kept their business and family separate. She might see the seedy Tatooine underworld and know of its dangers, but she didn't talk to pirates and smuggler's on a daily basis (well, okay, not daily, but whenever Timka and his father weren't paying attention), or haggle with merchants and their slaves. Luke and Sienn'lae weren't criminals by a long shot, but Tatooine was more than just their home. It was a part of them and for good or ill, the desert planet had left its scars upon their souls that would never be erased. For someone like Tohk that just wasn't the case.

When they finally got near Gardulla's compound, Luke pulled a datapad out of his backpack and quickly pulled up the files on the outer perimeter.

"Cameras?" Sienn'lae asked quietly and Luke motioned in agreement.

"Night vision, but there's gaps in the overlay," Luke replied, his eyes focused on the document in front of him, "Probably just worried 'bout big attacks, not a couple of people trying to sneak in."

"I doubt they've had a problem with that before," Sienn'lae said drily, and Luke couldn't help but let out a small laugh. Tohk jumped nervously, and Luke squeezed her hand briefly to reassure her. He'd stuck to his decision to include her in this, but now that Sienn'lae was here to help out as well...

"Hey," he whispered, bringing his face close to her ear, "Do you want to wait outside for this? 'Lae can help me get in and watch for guards so..."

The dark eyed girl didn't respond for a moment, but that was an answer enough for Luke.

"Stay here," he insisted, "It's going to be dangerous, and I don't want you getting hurt."

"What about you," the girl asked quietly. Luke gave her a small smile, even though she probably couldn't see it.

"I'll be fine. You know me – it always turns out alright in the end."

Tohk shook her head at first, whether from unwillingness to let him go, amusement, or maybe a bit of both, but after a few more reassurances she finally agreed.

"Here," Luke whispered, pressing a small silver object into the other girl's hand. "I have the other end of the communicator. You can be my lookout from here; let me know if there's any trouble, or if someone realizes I've cut the vids."

Tohk nodded solemnly, and Luke gave her a quick hug before going back to where Sienn'lae was quickly scanning the building's blue prints on a pad.

Once she was done he tucked the pad back into his pack and quietly briefed Sienn'lae on the rest of their plan. According to the specs, she should just be able to fit into the shafts, though she'd go in behind him in case she got stuck and needed Luke's help to get through. Sienn'lae could do very small tasks with the force, but despite his age, Luke's control was much better.

Luke was up first, and with a deep breath and a quick squeeze on the blaster he'd strapped to his back (in case of a worst-case scenario – honestly he wasn't even sure he could use it), he moved forward to the outside of the compound. The shop hadn't had any night vision equipment and Luke hadn't had the time to whip anything up, so he had to rely on his force-enhanced eyes to find the security panel. Once he'd found it, he flicked on the small light on the strap of his backpack, and after couple minutes with a screwdriver, he popped off the outer case to reveal the inner wiring. The boy dug around in his pack for a small black remote, and clipped it on to the yellow wire. The recorder copied a view minutes of the video and then all it took was a quick rewiring job to reroute the live feed from the systems hard drive.

He gestured for the young Twi'lek to come over and started searching for the ventilation grates. The bolts on the outside were larger and tighter than that of the security panel and Luke had to use just a little bit of the Force to loosen them. He finished removing them with the screwdriver though, not wanting use more of the Force than he had to; his father's paranoia had definitely rubbed off on him. Once the grate was open they donned masks and gloves before finally climbing into the metal tunnel.

The first unexpected thing Luke noticed that was the roar of flowing air. It'd make it particularly hard for him and Sienn'lae to communicate if something went wrong, so likely he'd have to try and talk with her through the Force. Between the darkness and the dust and grime surrounding him, moving through the shaft was slow laborious work, but after what felt like forever, the gently sloping shaft levelled off and Luke could see small slits of light from the rooms below. He moved forward and waited for Sienn'lae to follow him down; she seemed to be doing alright, but due to her larger size, the thirteen year old was probably being even more careful not to raise a ruckus. Judging by the lack of banging, she was probably using the Fore to sense her surroundings and guide herself.

Once she'd caught up him, they continued on, the path to the vertical drop clear in their minds. There was an abandoned service shaft on the opposite end of the complex, so if they could get there without attracting attention, they'd could make it all the way down to the detention level in one go.

With every foot, Luke got more and more overheated, and he could feel the sweat pooling on his face and back. The dark, rancid images flashing through his mind though and he steeled himself against all the discomfort and forced himself forward towards his goal. When they finally reached the opening, Luke couldn't be sure of how much time had passed, but after he popped out the grill with Force (and lowering it very carefully to the bottom of the shaft) he let out a huge breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

There were a couple large vertical pipes next to the shaft opening, and a quick touch with his gloved hand revealed that they were empty. Just in case though, Luke wiggled his backpack around in front of him and pulled out a long bunch of rope, and tied one end to a thick metal beam that ran below the lip of the opening. He let the rope dangle down the twenty or so foot drop to the bottom of the shaft, and in one quick push, grabbed one of the pipe fittings, spinning his body around so that he could wrap himself around it. The metal creaked ominously and Luke couldn't help but shut his eyes in anticipation. The pipes held though and he eventually cracked his eyes open again.

"You alright?" Sienn'lae asked frantically, now leaning out in front of the ventilation shaft where Luke had been. Luke nodded tightly, not quite able to find his voice, and cautiously released one of his hands to gesture downwards. Sienn'lae voiced her understanding and Luke turned his attention back to slowly shimmying down the large tubes. At first he was cautious, but once he started moving, he got into something of a rhythm and it wasn't actually as bad as he expected. Still, he kept his eyes on their safety rope and his ears open for any sign of the failure in either of the two pipes they were climbing down.

Once the youth had climbed down to the level of the lowest ventilation shaft, he ignored his aching muscles and focused once again on popping of the grill guarding the entry to the shaft. Some part of his mind was giving off alarm bells at his use of the Force, but Luke was honestly too tired by this point to care. By the time the grill was off and disposed of, Sienn'lae had caught up to the young Skywalker.

"Let me go first. You're going to exhaust yourself."

Part of him was annoyed at her interference, but Luke nodded gratefully all the same. By this point, most of the adrenaline had worn off, and Luke was beyond worn out. He wasn't sure how long his muscles would even allow him to hang there. They agreed on a signal for Luke to pop off the shaft covering, and once they were both in the ventilation system again, 'Lae quickly scanned the area below for guards. She gave the signal for all clear, and once Luke opened the grate, the two Force-sensitives gratefully jumped down into the tunnel.

"Shit," Luke breathed, as he tore off his mask and stained gloves.

"I told you the ventilation shafts were a bad idea," Sienn'lae whispered, as she started to strip off her own greasy, grimy coveralls, "Just for the record."

Luke ignored her, and they worked quickly and efficiently to wrap up the rancid suits and stuff them back in their packs. They were both hoping to keep this mission off-the-record, at least from Timka, and she'd immediately start digging if they both lost their suits. Luke's dad would be able to sense something was up as soon as he got back, but that was inevitable really. He was also more likely to understand why they'd gone; both Anakin and Timka worried, but Timka hadn't spent her own childhood rescuing Ghostlings or helping wayward queens.

Once they were ready, Luke pulled out his small pad while Sienn'lae kept watch of the tunnels visually and with the Force. He couldn't pinpoint exactly where they'd come out – the prints for the lower tunnels were little more than quick sketches – but it seemed as if they were in the deepest parts of the passageways. Letting his instincts guide him, Luke led the way through the tunnels. The passage's condition improved gradually, and even as the lighting got better and the floors firmer, they luckily didn't run into any guards.

As they continued on, Luke began to sense people in the cells, and he held out an arm for Sienn'lae to stop. He tried to move as quickly as possible between cells, but it was proving harder than he thought to distinguish which presence was in each cell. Finally, Luke stopped outside of a cell and the Force rang clear as a bell in his mind; he'd finally found his friend. He slammed air into the lock to break the mechanism, and the two youths quickly hurried into the damp hole. Luke quickly narrowed in on Jenner curled up in the corner, whose face jerked up at the commotion.

"Luke?" the boy exclaimed in disbelief, "What in the two suns are you doing here? You—"

"Shhhhh," Luke hissed, rushing forward to cover Jenner's mouth with his hand, "Do you want us to get caught?"

Jenner shook his head, and Luke slowly removed his hand.

"But, this," Jen whispered, shaking his head wildly, "What are you trying to do Luke? This is _Gardulla the Hutt_, you can't possibly expect to get out of here alive."

"I'm sure as hell going to try," Luke told him, dragging the shocked boy up onto his feet, "Listen, Jen, I overheard your parents – they..."

"They're not coming to get me, are they?" Jenner asked dejectedly, already knowing the answer.

Luke shook his head, not knowing what to say to the injured boy.

"You don't understand, Luke," Jen said softly, turning his back to the blond boy and looking around the grimy cell, "What it's like to have parents who don't really care about you. I mean, it's not like they really hate me I think, but they... they don't love me – Not like you and your Dad."

Luke swallowed thickly, thinking back to what he'd heard in the other boy's house. "That's not true Jen. They – your Dad, he wanted to get you back. He really did."

Jenner laughed harshly, "That's not love, Lucky. That's his damn sense of "responsibility" or whatever. Even if they don't really want me, I'm still their son and Dad always goes on and on about how he _has _to take care of me, how it's his _duty _as a parent. It's like I'm a disease or something. I was...almost happy when they took me away you know. Even if I die-"

"You're not going to die!" Luke whispered harshly, turning the other boy around to face him. Sienn'lae hissed some sort of warning, but the blond boy ignored her. "Look, I'm sorry if your parents are assholes, but I mean, there are other people who care about you! What about your grandparents or Tohk or me? Don't we mean anything?"

The brown-haired boy met eyes for just a moment before looking away.

"Whatever," he murmured and Luke nearly smacked his forehead in frustration.

"Luke!" Sienn'lae whispered, more viciously this time and Luke finally turned to her. "We have company; there's a guard coming around."

"What?" Luke snapped around, his body tight with anticipation.

"It's probably just someone making the night rounds," Jenner interjected softly. "He probably won't even look in."

Jenner turned out to be right, though Sienn'lae and Luke hid behind the door just in case. The guard passed by the cell without as much as a moment's hesitation. When the footsteps finally turned the corner, Luke turned back to Jenner; now wasn't the time to argue about his family. They just had to get out of here.

They waited for a few more minutes to be sure the guard wouldn't return (despite Jenner's instance he only ever came around once) before quietly slipping into the hall way. There was no way they'd be able to escape by the same route they'd come in. Even if they were somehow able to get back into the ventilation, Luke didn't think any of them had the energy to climb all the way out. Not to mention Jenner was injured, and either 'Lae or himself would have to help him along. No, the ventilation shafts weren't an option; they'd just have to–

"Hey you—" a voice from behind them shouted, causing Sienn'lae to whip around, blaster out. In a split second she'd stunned the guard, and turned back to Luke, eyes wide and frantic.

"Shit."

* * *

AN: Phew! Luke's gotten himself into quite the pickle hasn't he? I guess that's what you get for trying to break into a Hutt stronghold as an (almost) eight year old kid. Like father like son though; the reference to Anakin rescuing the ghostling children is from the Episode I Scholastic books which very loosely was the inspiration for Luke's own escapade. Anyways...

Yay an update! This chapter was sitting at 80% complete for forever, but thanks to the SW:TOR free trial weekend, I got totally back into a Star Wars mood! The next chapter hasn't been started though, so it will probably be a couple weeks. Thankfully, school's almost over, so I will hopefully be more committed to updating.

Reviews are like cookies. I can never have enough :)


	13. Act II: Part V

**Act II: Part V**

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god–"

"Shut up, Jenner!" Sienn'lae snapped, shaking the boy's shoulders until he stopped mumbling. Luke stared in shock at the unconscious man in front of him, his feet frozen to the spot. Damn it all, they weren't supposed to be _seen_. What if the man had activated an alarm before he was knocked out? What if somebody else was waiting for him up the tunnel?

"Luke," Sienn'lae said gently, placing a hand lightly on his shoulder. The boy looked up to her with glassy eyes and the Twi'lek gave him a brief shake too, to snap him out of it. Luke shook his head roughly, sandy hair falling into his eyes as he tried to get his brain to start functioning again, but to no avail. It was stuck, fixated on the stunned soldier and the scream that haunted his dreams.

"Come on, Luke," the Twi'lek girl repeated, dragging him away from his spot and back towards Jenner. "Think gear-head. You're the one who came up with this brilliant plan, and I ain't got squat right now, so we're dependingon you, y'hear? _Luke_."

'Depending on you'... something snapped in the young force-user's mind at those words and Luke finally met her gaze. He nodded briefly, and tried to sort out all the thoughts whizzing around in his skull. The guard...

"Drag the guard into Jenner's empty cell," Luke instructed quietly, inspiration finally striking though the dark, musty cavern. Sienn'lae gave him a strange look, but Luke barely noticed.

"We'll stick to the plan but we make it look like a bigger break in," he explained hurriedly as Sienn'lae stripped the guard of his arms and comm and tossed the body into the cell they'd just left. He sidled up beside her, keeping his voice low so that Jen wouldn't overhear.

"I know where the generator room is on this floor. Instead of just cutting off security system, I can probably set it up to hack the entire power complex and shut down, well, _everything. _We can manually stall the generators too, snap the handles or 'll be a bit dark but if we're careful –"

"We should be home free," Sienn'lae completed. Luke nodded, a hand restlessly brushing his sweaty hair away from his forehead.

"We have to hurry," he whispered, the softness of his voice failing to hide the fear that was now fighting to fill his limbs and immobilize him. Sienn'lae moved back to Jenner, whispering something in his ear. While the other boy was distracted, Luke carefully fixed the lock with the Force, shielding the mechanism with his body and making small gestures with his arm just in case. It wasn't that he didn't trust Jenner really, but he was upset and injured and there was no telling what Jen might think of him if he revealed his abilities at this point.

"C'mon," Luke said when he'd finished, tearing his eyes away from the thick cell door in front of him, "Let's find the power block."

They moved along the dark corridors quickly, getting further away from the point the two force-users had entered from and deeper into the bowels of the compound. Luke let his senses guide the way to the building's main control room. The lithe tendrils of the Force wisped by him, some comforting, other's echoing with the screams and torment of the Hutt's prisoners. The young force-user did his best to tune those out, but he sometimes couldn't help but flinch. A couple times a long their path they'd had to duck into small alcoves to avoid patrolling guards, but it didn't seem like anyone had realized one of their comrades' had gone missing. They still had some time left.

When they finally reached the generator room, little more than a dingy, rusted door from the outside, there weren't any guards patrolling the corridor. 'Lae moved to the far corner on lookout and Luke turned his attention to two locks that separated them from the power generators. The old iron padlock on the door handle broke easily enough with his "bare hands", but in no way would Luke be able to move the huge stainless steel bars just the Force alone. They were controlled by an electronic passcode, the data terminal just to the right of the door.

Luke would have three chances to guess the code before the alarm would sound; along with blueprints to the manor, his Dad had written down some notes on his computer about the security system, including a list of codes. There were six combinations total for the basement level, and whether through carelessness or ignorance, Anakin hadn't noted which codes were for which rooms. His son would just have to take his best shot.

Luke closed his eyes, reciting the memorized combinations in his head and letting his fingers ghost over the keys, searching for the one combo that felt right. He barely even realized when he'd started typing – "0 – 4 – 2 – 3 – 3 – 4 – 7 – 5 – 8" – the young Skywalker hesitated for just a fleeting moment before Luke surged forward pressing the final "5" of the combination.

The grating beep of failure echoed loudly in Luke's mind, and the boy had to bite his cheek to hold back a curse. He waited tensely for a few minutes, but indeed it seemed like a single wrong passcode didn't trigger an alarm of any kind. Desperately hoping his arms wouldn't shake, Luke reached up and started to enter another combination. Try to get a 'feel' for which one was right obviously wasn't getting him anywhere, so he'd just have to go for it.

"0 – 4 – 2 – 7 – 5 – 5 – 5" – the young Skywalker hesitated again, trembling and barely able to hear over the pounding of his heartbeat in his veins. In his moment of panic, he suddenly couldn't remember the remaining digits; shaky breath in, shaky breath out, Luke tried to regain some measure of calm, releasing bursts of pent up anxiety into the mists of the Force. Hecould _do _this – he had near photographic memory and had been memorizing longer sequences than these stupid codes since he was three for Sith's sake. Blurry eyes finally refocused on the blinking blue box on the screen, and Luke punched out the final "3 – 1 – 3".

A light chime sounded and Luke nearly fell to the floor in relief. Jenner hurried into the pitch-black room and Luke followed closely behind, his hand waving reflexively over the light switch by the door. Sienn'lae bounded in just moments later and the door shut with a soft 'thud'. Luke strode over to the small computer panel set in the room's far corner and pulled out the small pad from his pack.

Luke paid the softly glowing screen with its flashing username box no mind as he hooked up a cable from the back his datapad to the old, dusty hard drive in the wall. He brought up the code on the pad's screen – it's mostly bits and pieces cobbled together with a old program his Dad never really got 100% debugged, but it should break through the security layers on this old piece of junk. A few minutes of fiddling and he'd modified it to hopefully bring up and shut down the power schematics instead of the security programs. It was a sloppy job, but he didn't have time for anything more sophisticated at the moment. He glanced over at 'Lae and seeing her nod started the program with a shaky breath. Lines of output code immediately began to fly across the screen.

It didn't take long to get access to the main desktop of the computer terminal, windows flitting by as the program accessed the power system controls. It took more than a few minutes for the password crackers to key in the right codes, but finally, after far too long, Luke had access to all the main power ports in the building.

"You ready?" Luke whispered to his sibling, and as an answer, she moved over to the cylindrical generators humming away in the corner. He gave her a minute to find the manual override switches on the main and backup machines. Quietly, she shut down access to the backup generator, tearing off the metal handle with a wobbly push of the Force, and moved over to put both hands on one of the main power sources.

"Ready."

"On my count of three then," Luke responded, "Jenner, stand by the door and be ready to run."

Still terrified, the boy complied and Luke took a deep breath.

"1 - "

"2," Luke's hands were shaking again and he sent them a firm '_No'_, but they didn't heed his instruction.

"3," Luke pressed the keys that would cut all the buildings computers systems off from the generators, followed by shutting down the generators themselves. The lights switched off and he efficiently uploaded a virus from the datapad and disconnected everything from the manor's system.

The whirring in the room died down quickly; once the room was silent, Sienn'lae cranked down the handle, broke off the metal and tossed it onto the floor with the other pieces. She did it three more times for the other central machines and wiped the sweat of her brow from the mental exertion.

They stood there for just a moment before Luke's brain kicked into gear.

"Run!" he hissed and they were off, out the door and turning the corner to a side stairway. The entire floor was dark, and although Luke and Sienn'lae navigated it well enough, Jenner barely made a single step without stumbling. They made it up before two flights of stairs before dragging his two compatriots into a nearby hallway. They waited with bated breath as a handful of guards came trampling down the stairs and Luke projected out gently with the Force.

_Nobody here, keep moving, nobody here, keep moving..._

Whether or not the Force suggestions worked or the guards just didn't notice the small party in the dark, the trio wasted little time after they'd run past to make it up to the main floor. They had to navigate through three more hallways and another set of guards before Luke finally found their escape route.

"There," he whispered fiercely, pointing even though he knew neither of his companions would be able to see it. He grabbed Jenner's hand and dragged him roughly after him. Luke didn't waste a moment after bursting out the side door of the base, before racing around back to where Tohk was waiting for them.

But she wasn't there.

Luke looked around wildly, reaching out to the Force to try and pick up her signature. He found nothing.

"Luke!" Sienn'lae said urgently, tugging at his arm. "We have to go!"

"Not without Tohk!" the boy hissed, futilely trying to wretch his arm out of the Twi'lek's hold, "She has to be around here somewhere; maybe she's hiding, maybe –"

"She's fucking gone Luke, as _we_ should be. Unless you want all of us to be turned into bantha meat by a couple of space-crazy Hutts!"

Luke tried again to pull away from the older girl, but her grip was tight as a clamp as she dragged him into the alley behind Gardulla's manor, Jenner trailing limply behind them. The young Skywalker felt as if the world was spinning around him – Tohk just couldn't be gone, she was going to wait for them, she wouldn't just leave them or run away; she might've been scared, but she was no _coward, _she –

There!

"Luke!" Sienn'lae hissed as the boy finally bolted away, sprinting into a smaller, shadowy alley to their right. He barely went more than a dozen paces before crouching down beside the crumbling clay wall, picking up the small shining object half-buried beneath the shifting sand.

"Luke—"

"It's her communicator," the boy whispered brokenly, and Sienn'lae finally stilled, gazing at the silver object in his hand with growing horror.

"She's not dumb," Luke continued, forcing the worst out past his leaden tongue, "She wouldn't have just left it here. Someone... someone had to have –"

"Somebody took her," Sienn'lae finished softly, closing Luke's fingers gently over the device, "Luke; Luke, look at me. _Look at me_."

Some part of the young force user's brain must still have been operating, because he raised his heads and laid unfocused eyes on the concerned girl's face. He met her eyes for a brief second, but the wave of concern and fear that washed over him made him break the contact timidly.

"We _have _to go, Luke. It could be seconds before Gardulla's guards find us and then all of this is for naught. I know you're worried about her kid; I'm worried about her too, but we can't do anything right now. Once Jenner's back home and safe we can go find her, okay?"

Luke nodded, unsure of what else he could possibly do right now that wouldn't screw everything else up. He didn't protest this time as Sienn'lae led them through the winding mazes of Mos Eisley's streets and alleys, and when they finally reached Jenner's home, neither boy knew what to say.

Sienn'lae backed off to give them a moment, standing a couple houses down the street where the two boys were still easily within sight.

"If my parents see you here," Jenner broke in abruptly, snapping the awkward silence that had settled between them, "they're going to flip. You should probably... head out first."

"Yeah, I know..." Luke said softly, seeing it for the dismissal it was, but not quite ready to leave yet. Tatooine's night was wearing on, and now that the adrenaline was starting to fade, Luke couldn't quite hold back the slightly chattering of his teeth or the shivering of his arms in the cold desert darkness. It wasn't supposed to feel like this. His friend was alive and right in front of him and yet Luke wanted to forget the whole night had ever happened. Eventually the young Skywalker did take a step back though, and just as he was about to turn to leave, he caught the barest whisper from the boy he considered his best friend.

"Thanks."

Facing away from Jenner, Luke nodded stiffly, and hurried down the road to where his protector was waiting. To her credit, Sienn'lae didn't say anything as they shuffled home, and Luke was more than content to try and sort out his own foggy thoughts. He must have been tired too, because before he knew it, Sienn'lae had already opened the door to the shop and hustled them inside. She grabbed the pack from his back and slung it over her shoulder with her own.

"Get some sleep bantha-brain," Sienn'lae whispered to her little brother, ruffling his hair and resting her hand atop his head gently, "We'll look for Tohk in the morning."

She frowned when Luke just nodded and didn't even bother to brush the hand off of his head like he always did when she would treat him, in his mind at least, like a child. She pushed him towards the door gently, and somehow Luke managed to put one foot in front of the other and get himself to his bedroom without causing a disturbance. He fell onto the bed, fully clothed and with his boots still on his feet, and clenched the pillow tightly around his face.

Part of Luke that realized he was shaking, and a rough sob escaped into the confines of the pillow. He passed into unconsciousness like that, face down, arms around his head, and a feeling of hopelessness haunting him all the way into his dreams.

* * *

Breakfast the next morning was a surreal experience, making the previous day's adventure seem like nothing but a fading nightmare. Timka chattered away as he picked away sluggishly at his cereal, slapping him playfully on the back of his head to hurry him along, but otherwise behaving perfectly, insufferably normal. Without even really reaching out, Luke could feel the buzzing energy she emitted, clean and cheerful without even a trace of suspicion. He supposed he should've been happy that they'd 'gotten away with it', but a small part of him wanted Timka to know. Wanted her to yell at him, scold him with tears in the corners of her eyes and then hug him and promise that they'd make it all better.

But she couldn't make this better. Nobody could; and it was all Luke's fault.

Luke didn't see Jenner at school, though he looked for him in classes and at breaks. The teacher's gave no indication of knowing he'd come home to his parents last night either, so it seemed as if they'd chosen not to inform the school of his return. The thought made a cold weight coil in the young boy's stomach.

"Luke, c'mon, look at me brat."

"Hmmmm?" Luke intoned, looking over at Sienn'lae as they drove through the dunes on the outskirts of Mos Eisley. The wind whipped through he lekku as they drove, a stark whiteness against the sea of beige sand.

A soft sigh escaped the young woman's lips, and although Luke couldn't hear it over the bluster of the wind he saw the way her face crumpled. The speeder slowly down imperceptibly, presumably so 'Lae wouldn't have to shout to be heard.

"I've put in words with people I know about your friend," she said lightly, and Luke heard her, though he gave no outward sign, "Nothing's turned up so far. It's early but... if this was a hostage situation, I would've heard some muttering from the guards at the very least. It's likely that this is something else entirely."

Luke let his head fall away from her, the words sinking in as he stared at the bleak landscape. He hadn't expected they would find her; she was gone, gone even from the Force, and there was nothing he could do about it. If he was truly honest with himself, Luke was pretty sure Tohk was already dead.

Sienn'lae made a couple more attempts to break through Luke's misery, but the boy had no intentions of engaging her in any type of conversation. He was back up in his room the moment he got home, leaving any repercussions of his behaviour for 'Lae to sort out. He drifted, trying to find peace and balance in the force, but in his despair, all he could find in the force was the tentative thread that linked him to his father.

It took all of Luke's willpower not to reach out along that bond and pour out all his troubles. But no, his dad was on a mission, and this was Luke's screw-up, not his. Anakin Skywalker had more pressing concerns to deal with than his idiot son. He tried one last time to find his center and reach out for Tohk, but the Force continued to elude him. He fell asleep soon after, feeling more alone than ever.

The next afternoon, before the twin suns had set fully below the horizon, a small stone clipped the glass of Luke's window. Luke had retreated to his room once again after school, tossing and turning as he envisioned all the horrible things that could've befallen Tohk. Growing up on Tattooine had left little illusions in the young Skywalker's mind about what kind of evils could happen to those without protection in the outer rim.

The second stone caught his attention more than the first, and by the third Luke had swung his legs over the bed and opened the small hatch. He lifted a hand to shield his eyes from the glare of the sun, and looked down on the small figure of Jenner, waving his arms frantically to come down. It sent a shock down Luke's spine to see him there; he hadn't really expected Jenner to say another word to him ever again.

His legs carried him down to the back of their building before Luke had even really processed what was happening. Jenner waited there nervously, pacing and jumping around the small alcove.

"Jen." Luke whispered, his voice slightly hoarse from disuse. He didn't think he'd talked to anyone these last two days.

"Hey Luke," Jenner replied, just as softly, not meeting the other boys eyes and his arms awkwardly tangled above his head. Whatever he was here to say, Luke was certain it didn't bode well.

They stood there in awkward silence, Luke too hesitant to ask and Jenner apparently to embarrassed to come out and spill whatever he'd come over to say.

"I'm, My - " Jenner finally blurted out, his eyes sliding briefly over Luke's, before returning downwards to stare at the dust. "I'm leaving, Luke."

"Leaving," Luke asked sadly, his fears crystallizing against the pounding of his heart. Jenner didn't want anything to do with him anymore and so... he was leaving.

"Yeah, I'm leaving." Jenner repeated, dejectedly, "Look, I, I don't _want _to leave, I mean Tatooine's a dust pit, but it's my home. Stars, I never thought I'd hate leaving here. Doubt Pakunni will be all the much better though."

"Pakunni? You're going to the Pakunni system – but that's halfway across the galaxy!"

"Well, not quite halfway, but it's a ways." Jenner looked up at Luke, something unidentifiable in his eyes before the he launched himself at the young Force-sensitive, wrapping his arms tightly around his back and next.

"Hutt-spawn I'm so sorry Luke!" Jenner cried into his shoulder, while Luke stood there bewildered, "You saved my life, and here, I'm just, just running away! I don't want to go I swear, I yelled at my parents for _hours_ not to make me go, but they've already packed up all my things on the ship, and _sith_, I'm sorry Luke. I'm so sorry."

Jenner finally pulled himself away, wiping at his eyes roughly with his sleeves, before fixing a determined look on the other boys face.

"My parents would've let me die y'know. No," Jenner raised a hand to stop Luke's interruption, "It's true. They would've. They didn't have the money or the brains, and the sure as hell do have even half as much courage as you do. Let me finish," Jenner said again, as Luke made another move to interrupt. Luke shut his mouth with an audible 'clack', still not entirely sure of what he'd been about to say.

"You're my best friend, Luke. The best friend I could ever imagine. But, honestly, I don't even know if I would've done what you did. To go up against the Hutts... just for me..."

"No!" Luke snarled, angry and frustration exploding from some pit inside of him, and ebbing as quickly as it had come, "Dont – don't say it like that."

Jenner nodded shortly, any surprise at the interruption quickly forgotten. "Either way, I... I'm just trying to say thank you. And I'm sorry, for leaving like this after all you did. And here."

Jenner shoved a tiny silver box into Luke's hands, covering it up with the younger boy's fingers.

"It's had all my new holo-information on it. My parents will probably be checking it tons, but I'll try and get some messages back to you once it calms down. I have your IDs on a piece of flimsiplast tucked away in a couple places too, just in case."

Luke nodded shortly, still having trouble processing the Jenner still thought Luke was his best friend, but... but he was still leaving him. He couldn't think of what to say.

Whether unnerved by Luke's silence, or suddenly realizing how much trouble he was already in, Jenner's eyes slipped back down to the sand beneath his feet.

"Well, then, uh, this is goodbye Luke. For now at least," the older boy muttered, giving Luke once last brief hug before turning away.

"I promise I'll find a way to repay you one day. I promise. Kay?"

Luke nodded, even though he knew Jenner couldn't see him, and the other boy was gone, whisked out of Luke's life like a loose tarp on a windy day. Luke plodded back up to his room, clutching the little silver datastick so tightly that it left marks on his palms.

Jenner... didn't hate him. He'd called him his _best friend_. Why did he have to leave then? Best friends didn't just _leave _each other.

Luke wanted to scream his frustrations to the heavens. It wasn't _fair_! Luke had – Luke had saved his life from the Hutts! He'd gone down into the dark, mucky dungeons and saved his life and brought him home. They, they were supposed to go back to normal now and laugh at each other's jokes about girls and their stupid teachers and their stupid planet and how they were going to be starship pilots one day (or at Luke was going to be a pilot, and he was going to bring Jen along with him on all his awesome adventures). They were supposed to be able to grumble together when Tohk kicked their asses as boloball, and, and – sithspawn, it wasn't fair! Jenner couldn't leave, he couldn't... They were supposed to be best friends.

A sob wrenched its way out of Luke's chest, but the young boy buried any others in the blankets and pillows of his bed. His eyes were dry though. He didn't have any more tears to shed these days it seemed.

* * *

Luke's reunion with Tohk was no less heart wrenching, though perhaps the more shocking of the two.

After a week, Sienn'lae's grapevine still hadn't picked up any word of the girl, so Luke went over to her house, just in case. He could play the friend card, worrying over her absence from school without any other knowledge. There was always the chance her parents would know something.

He didn't expect for Tohkiji to open the door herself.

The girls face was gaunt and shadowed, red rimming her swollen eyes and hair hanging limply in ragged tangles around her jaw.

"Tohk..."

She stared at him for a moment, vacant eyes glassing over his features. A female voice called her from inside, asking who was at the door, and Tohk turned halfway back around, shouting that it was a friend of hers. As she stepped out to Luke, she pulled the door shut behind her with a bang.

"Tohk," Luke repeated, stunned, "You're... okay."

"Okay," the girl hissed, her vehemence causing the younger boy to take a step back, "Okay?! I – I'm not OKAY, Luke."

"Tohk –"

"No," the girl cut him off, "No, don't you dare Lucian. You just left me there, you –" her voiced cracked over the words, "I was captured by slavers Luke, they, they..."

She started sobbing right in front of him as the horror of her words sank in. _Slavers_. No – that was impossible, she couldn't have –

"My parents had to buy me back like a, like a piece of furniture! They spent all their savings just to buy their own daughter back. They hit me, and put me in chains in this tiny gross prison, and there was this other girl in there, Luke and she was barely moving, just lying in the corner – and they were going to _sell _me, Luke. As a _slave_. Because of you!"

"I'm sorry –" Luke tried to reach out to her, but she slapped away his hand, recoiling back against the door.

"I hate you," she spat at him, "I hate you, I hate you, I – I - "

She clutched her arms tightly and leaned back against the door frame.

"You should leave, Luke," she whispered, "And stay away."

She swung back around, opening the door and disappearing into the house.

Luke wasn't sure how long he stood there, but he went home and something must've showed on his face. Timka took one look at him, and her arms went around him, holding him close and murmuring soothing sounds in his ear. She picked him up and brought him to the living room, cradling him in her lap like a baby. For once, he didn't protest. He clutched her shirt like a lifeline, not saying anything, not crying or sobbing. He just held on and tried his hardest to ignore the scream – Tohk's scream, the screamed she'd uttered when she was being beaten by slavers, he now knew – that haunted his every thought. He wasn't very successful.

* * *

Luke woke up to a large hand brushing through his hair, the motion soothing and nearly lulling him back to sleep.

"Mrrrfgh," he managed to get out from behind his pillow, and a man's voice chuckled in the darkness.

"Go back to sleep brat," the man whispered, and as tempting as it was, Luke swore he knew that –

"Dad!" the boy exclaimed, throwing aside his comforter and wrapping his arms around his father's next. "You're back!"

"Mmmmm," his dad agreed, burrowing his face in the crook of Luke's neck. They stayed like that for a moment, before the memories from two weeks ago came crashing down and Luke drew back.

"Dad, I'm, I did – " the boy stammered, but Anakin just shook his head.

"I know Luke, I know," he whispered, his hands still brushing back the boy's hair, "You're really something kid."

"I'm so sorry –"

"I'm so proud of you Luke," Anakin said, drawing the boy back into his arms, "You're stupid and reckless and for sithsake I don't know what to do with you. What you did was beyond idiotic, and I'm honestly surprised to you didn't get yourself killed," Anakin's hands moved down to his shoulders and squeezed them tightly, "But it was so brave, so selfless and amazing. And as much as I hate to admit it, it was the right thing to do."

His father pressed a feather light kiss to Luke's forehead, and dropped his arms back to the bed. It was too dark in the room to see his father's face well, so the younger Skywalker had no idea what Anakin was thinking.

"Your - Sometimes I see too much of myself in you, Luke, of who I used to be as a boy and it _terrifies_me. One of these days you won't be so lucky."

Luke nodded solemnly; he knew that by all odds, he shouldn't have come back from Gardulla's mansion. But, despite everything, even if he could go back and do it all over again, he wouldn't be able to leave Jenner in the Hutt's hands. He never would have been able to live with himself.

"Timka grounded me for four weeks," Luke muttered, startling another laugh out of Anakin.

"You kind of deserve it," the older man said, and Luke could hear the grin in his voice, "If you're interested, I do have something that might pass the time more quickly."

"Oh," Luke responded, sitting up a little straighter. Anakin flicked on the light with a wave of his hand and reached down by the foot of the bed, pulling up a lumpy, black package about the size of the older man's forearm.

"I did promise you a present," he said, handing the package over to the squirming boy. Luke tore into it with no hesitation, sending shreds of paper flying every which way. When the item was finally revealed, Luke couldn't hold in his gasp as he held it up to the light. Scrambling, he put it aside and flung himself off the bed at his dad's back.

"YOU'RE THE BEST!"

They were both laughing this time, and Anakin swung Luke around in his arms, shifting until he held the giddy boy upside down by his ankles. It didn't take long for the boy to break his dad's grip and soon he'd tackled the older man to the ground. They wrestled playfully, bantering and laughing, and for just a few minutes, Luke felt as if everything would be just fine.

* * *

AN: I'm super, duper, DUPER sorry for how long this update was. I had zero motivation to write after my move in the spring but my muse finally decided to pay me a visit when I came down with the flu earlier this week. I wrote this entire chapter in about four days so please overlook any spelling or grammatical errors. I did my best with proofreading, but the flu might've addled my brains a bit.

Thank you all for all your reviews and favs! Every one of those notifications in my inbox is a little pebble of motivation! The next chapter won't be out particularly soon, but I've started outlining it so it shouldn't be as long as this update was. This is the end of this arc, so there will be another interlude before we see a _slight _skip ahead in Luke's childhood.

Until next time! ^^


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